Felicia Steele
@feliciajsteele.bsky.social
Professor, linguist, knitter, curmudgeon: teach and study the History of the English language, British Literature before 1700, and many adjacent things. All opinions my own.
I guess that FL teachers should be getting boosters. In 2011, I discovered I had no measurable immunity to measles and got a booster. The booster worked for about five years, so I got another. In my last set of titers, immunity seems to be sticking. If you teach, get a titer panel and boosters.
February 2, 2026 at 1:53 AM
I guess that FL teachers should be getting boosters. In 2011, I discovered I had no measurable immunity to measles and got a booster. The booster worked for about five years, so I got another. In my last set of titers, immunity seems to be sticking. If you teach, get a titer panel and boosters.
Posting this for no reason whatsoever--or maybe just because my dad always liked Popular Mechanics www.popularmechanics.com/technology/s...
8 Genius Ways to Trick Surveillance Systems
Try these hacks to avoid being tracked.
www.popularmechanics.com
February 2, 2026 at 1:02 AM
Posting this for no reason whatsoever--or maybe just because my dad always liked Popular Mechanics www.popularmechanics.com/technology/s...
Reposted by Felicia Steele
From yesterday's Irish Times.
February 1, 2026 at 1:51 PM
From yesterday's Irish Times.
Physics of light and color
Art History I (cave paintings to the Renaissance)
Anatomy and Physiology
Roadside Geology
Art History I (cave paintings to the Renaissance)
Anatomy and Physiology
Roadside Geology
Never mind the jobs you had, tell me five classes you took at university.
Also avoiding linguistics/language courses:
The physics of music
Cosmology
Privateers and pirates
Stone sculpture
Java 5
Also avoiding linguistics/language courses:
The physics of music
Cosmology
Privateers and pirates
Stone sculpture
Java 5
Never mind the jobs you had, tell me five classes you took at university.
Avoiding English/Ling/Music courses (Majors/Minor)...
Intermediate Jogging
19th Century Russian Literature
Chekhov
Political Philosophy
The Medieval Church
Avoiding English/Ling/Music courses (Majors/Minor)...
Intermediate Jogging
19th Century Russian Literature
Chekhov
Political Philosophy
The Medieval Church
January 31, 2026 at 4:12 AM
Physics of light and color
Art History I (cave paintings to the Renaissance)
Anatomy and Physiology
Roadside Geology
Art History I (cave paintings to the Renaissance)
Anatomy and Physiology
Roadside Geology
Reposted by Felicia Steele
For the folks in the back:
OCR predates LLMs.
HTR software predates LLMs.
Digital Humanities predates LLMs.
Grammar and spell checkers predate LLMs.
YOU DO NOT NEED THE PLAGIARISM MACHINES.
OCR predates LLMs.
HTR software predates LLMs.
Digital Humanities predates LLMs.
Grammar and spell checkers predate LLMs.
YOU DO NOT NEED THE PLAGIARISM MACHINES.
January 30, 2026 at 2:55 AM
For the folks in the back:
OCR predates LLMs.
HTR software predates LLMs.
Digital Humanities predates LLMs.
Grammar and spell checkers predate LLMs.
YOU DO NOT NEED THE PLAGIARISM MACHINES.
OCR predates LLMs.
HTR software predates LLMs.
Digital Humanities predates LLMs.
Grammar and spell checkers predate LLMs.
YOU DO NOT NEED THE PLAGIARISM MACHINES.
I hadn't really thought of this, but what we see in Minneapolis and other major cities looks a lot like the militarization of Northern Ireland.
54 years ago today ,the British Parachute regiment invaded Derry's Bogside and murdered 14 men and boys .The murderers are protected by their government and the PPS.
The murderers LIED to two inquires,still no justice.
The murderers LIED to two inquires,still no justice.
January 30, 2026 at 1:01 PM
I hadn't really thought of this, but what we see in Minneapolis and other major cities looks a lot like the militarization of Northern Ireland.
Yep, this sums up how I feel about LLMs: www.newyorker.com/humor/shouts...
Why Shouldn’t We Let Demons Do Homework?
Using a demon is not cheating. Cheating is pawning off somebody else’s work as your own. A demon is not “somebody.” A demon is a being of pure malice.
www.newyorker.com
January 27, 2026 at 6:49 PM
Yep, this sums up how I feel about LLMs: www.newyorker.com/humor/shouts...
So...we just hit an iceberg and sink, killing the poor schleps who are locked in steerage? Metaphors have power, folks.
Vance on the economy:
"You don't turn the Titanic around overnight"
"You don't turn the Titanic around overnight"
January 22, 2026 at 6:18 PM
So...we just hit an iceberg and sink, killing the poor schleps who are locked in steerage? Metaphors have power, folks.
I've been planning to do cursive workshops and now there is even greater reason to do it. Not one of the students I've worked with in the last five years who plan to teach elementary school can use cursive.
With a swooping P, a curling H, a slanted I and a looped L, Gov. Philip D. Murphy of New Jersey — on his last full day in office — signed into law on Monday a bill requiring that all third, fourth and fifth graders in the state learn cursive.
Cursive Makes a Comeback in New Jersey Schools
In one of his final acts in office, Gov. Philip D. Murphy signed a bill on Monday requiring third, fourth and fifth graders to learn cursive.
nyti.ms
January 21, 2026 at 2:15 AM
I've been planning to do cursive workshops and now there is even greater reason to do it. Not one of the students I've worked with in the last five years who plan to teach elementary school can use cursive.
There is only one flaw in this characterization -- hardly any of us grade on paper anymore.
"Attend department potluck; singlehandedly polish off a bottle of wine and start unabashedly on a second."
Action Items On Your Radical Professor’s Liberal Agenda
Figure out pithy and original ways to write the comment “you need to support your claims” in the margins of 72 term papers. - - -Debate how old the...
buff.ly
January 20, 2026 at 1:23 PM
There is only one flaw in this characterization -- hardly any of us grade on paper anymore.
Reposted by Felicia Steele
We’re hiring hungry ghost wranglers — I mean Machine Learning Engineers.
As well as Typescript, React Native, and Go devs.
As well as Typescript, React Native, and Go devs.
January 12, 2026 at 10:28 PM
We’re hiring hungry ghost wranglers — I mean Machine Learning Engineers.
As well as Typescript, React Native, and Go devs.
As well as Typescript, React Native, and Go devs.
The worst part of autoimmune disease (all the manifold things classes as "fibromyalgia" (Latin for "I don't f*&king know what's wrong with you") is that you can go five or six days in a row and feel great and then get slammed and not be able to move.
January 11, 2026 at 3:12 PM
The worst part of autoimmune disease (all the manifold things classes as "fibromyalgia" (Latin for "I don't f*&king know what's wrong with you") is that you can go five or six days in a row and feel great and then get slammed and not be able to move.
Reposted by Felicia Steele
People often stop reading in adulthood because they're fatigued from school book assignments or just don't have the time. Here's how to turn the page on old habits and start reading again in 2026.
bit.ly/3YzoQdO
bit.ly/3YzoQdO
January 11, 2026 at 3:00 PM
People often stop reading in adulthood because they're fatigued from school book assignments or just don't have the time. Here's how to turn the page on old habits and start reading again in 2026.
bit.ly/3YzoQdO
bit.ly/3YzoQdO
I was lucky enough to see @stephenfry.bsky.social in Importance of Being Earnest last night, and I realized that we get the "rhythm of the barb" entirely from Oscar Wilde. It was such a gift to watch someone who understands Wilde's language so clearly and deeply portray Lady Bracknell. Thank you.
January 9, 2026 at 7:18 AM
I was lucky enough to see @stephenfry.bsky.social in Importance of Being Earnest last night, and I realized that we get the "rhythm of the barb" entirely from Oscar Wilde. It was such a gift to watch someone who understands Wilde's language so clearly and deeply portray Lady Bracknell. Thank you.
I don't think I've ever seen such a pithy and clear summation of the consequence of Lost Cause ideology.
General reminder of the words of proud son of Virginia, Major-General George H Thomas. The "Rock of Chickamauga". Who, unlike Lee, stayed loyal to the Union.
Post-war he had views on 'Lost Cause' and the damage it would do to America, unchecked.
A “counterfeit varnish of patriotism” he called it.
Post-war he had views on 'Lost Cause' and the damage it would do to America, unchecked.
A “counterfeit varnish of patriotism” he called it.
![[T]he greatest efforts made by the defeated insurgents since the close of the war have been to promulgate the idea that the cause of liberty, justice, humanity, equality, and all the calendar of the virtues of freedom, suffered violence and wrong when the effort for southern independence failed. This is, of course, intended as a species of political cant, whereby the crime of treason might be covered with a counterfeit varnish of patriotism, so that the precipitators of the rebellion might go down in history hand in hand with the defenders of the government, thus wiping out with their own hands their own stains; a species of self-forgiveness amazing in its effrontery, when it is considered that life and property—justly forfeited by the laws of the country, of war, and of nations, through the magnanimity of the government and people—was not exacted from them.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:5h5jfgi7vuqp4bkfogcntzep/bafkreifigvhyvtmy3mxp2btoxw5gztwrmyujtmpywsraabtjsq6oyrs4gq@jpeg)
December 30, 2025 at 12:41 PM
I don't think I've ever seen such a pithy and clear summation of the consequence of Lost Cause ideology.
Reposted by Felicia Steele
Techbros seem to love Tolkien, so here's an analogy to help you understand what genAI is.
GenAI is The One Ring. You think your use is justified, b/c you don't have evil in your heart.
But it came from evil, it is intended for evil purpose, & anything you do with it will be twisted to that end.
GenAI is The One Ring. You think your use is justified, b/c you don't have evil in your heart.
But it came from evil, it is intended for evil purpose, & anything you do with it will be twisted to that end.
December 17, 2025 at 8:43 PM
Techbros seem to love Tolkien, so here's an analogy to help you understand what genAI is.
GenAI is The One Ring. You think your use is justified, b/c you don't have evil in your heart.
But it came from evil, it is intended for evil purpose, & anything you do with it will be twisted to that end.
GenAI is The One Ring. You think your use is justified, b/c you don't have evil in your heart.
But it came from evil, it is intended for evil purpose, & anything you do with it will be twisted to that end.
Reposted by Felicia Steele
“As philosopher Peter Hershock observes, we don’t merely use technologies; we participate in them. With tools, we retain agency—we can choose when and how to use them. With technologies, the choice is subtler: they remake the conditions of choice itself.“
December 3, 2025 at 6:46 AM
“As philosopher Peter Hershock observes, we don’t merely use technologies; we participate in them. With tools, we retain agency—we can choose when and how to use them. With technologies, the choice is subtler: they remake the conditions of choice itself.“
As with everything she writes, Sarah Kendzior's meditation on a St. Louis cemetery is well worth reading. I never knew that there was a St. Louis Prufrock.
I am shadow-banned and was previously banned-banned for quoting Johnny Cash lyrics. Now I've quoted a dark TS Eliot poem and fear my Bluesky account may implode. If you like this article, please share it! Thank you sarahkendzior.substack.com/p/bell-fount...
December 11, 2025 at 2:38 AM
As with everything she writes, Sarah Kendzior's meditation on a St. Louis cemetery is well worth reading. I never knew that there was a St. Louis Prufrock.
Reposted by Felicia Steele
In early 2024, I got to speak to Deans from up & down the West Coast of the US & Canada about "AI". I told them that the only value of ChatGPT for university administrators is as a contrast-dye test to show where resources are lacking.
December 9, 2025 at 2:16 PM
In early 2024, I got to speak to Deans from up & down the West Coast of the US & Canada about "AI". I told them that the only value of ChatGPT for university administrators is as a contrast-dye test to show where resources are lacking.
Reposted by Felicia Steele
Only a liar or functionally illiterate person would call a slop machine "genius-level at everything".
If children die because their parents follow the advice of an ecocide-plagiarism-psychosis slop machine, Altman should be on the hook for it.
I don't have words for how sick and furious I feel.
If children die because their parents follow the advice of an ecocide-plagiarism-psychosis slop machine, Altman should be on the hook for it.
I don't have words for how sick and furious I feel.
Jimmy Fallon: "And do you use ChatGPT when raising your baby?"
Sam Altman: "I cannot imagine figuring out how to raise a newborn without ChatGPT."
Sam Altman: "I cannot imagine figuring out how to raise a newborn without ChatGPT."
December 9, 2025 at 5:16 PM
Only a liar or functionally illiterate person would call a slop machine "genius-level at everything".
If children die because their parents follow the advice of an ecocide-plagiarism-psychosis slop machine, Altman should be on the hook for it.
I don't have words for how sick and furious I feel.
If children die because their parents follow the advice of an ecocide-plagiarism-psychosis slop machine, Altman should be on the hook for it.
I don't have words for how sick and furious I feel.
Fabulous--noe using AI tools to censor faculty members. Terrific...
“School officials have created a Microsoft Copilot prompt to review course descriptions with an eye toward avoiding ‘advocacy-oriented or prescriptive terms.’”
Terms: “dismantling, decolonizing, interrogating, challenging, centering, combating, liberation, resistance, activism, justice oriented”
Terms: “dismantling, decolonizing, interrogating, challenging, centering, combating, liberation, resistance, activism, justice oriented”
To Root Out Wokeness in the Course Catalog, This Texas University Is Turning to AI
“The AI was upset with my use of the phrase ‘women's rights movement.’”
www.texasmonthly.com
December 6, 2025 at 5:12 PM
Fabulous--noe using AI tools to censor faculty members. Terrific...
Ugh...I swear it gets worse every day.
Let me tell you a story. Perhaps you can guess where this is going... though it does have a bit of a twist.
I was poking around Google Scholar for publications about the relationship between chatbots and wellness. Oh how useful: a systematic literature review! Let's dig into the findings. 🧵
I was poking around Google Scholar for publications about the relationship between chatbots and wellness. Oh how useful: a systematic literature review! Let's dig into the findings. 🧵
December 6, 2025 at 1:12 AM
Ugh...I swear it gets worse every day.
Strangely, this thread gives me comfort, because I thought what I was seeing was specific to my own institution.
An issue we're seeing at all levels of university is that many students are simply refusing to do *anything*. They aren't reading the syllabus, aren't following assignment guidelines, aren't engaging with material, ignoring deadlines. And this might seem like old news, but it truly has ramped up.
November 29, 2025 at 3:23 PM
Strangely, this thread gives me comfort, because I thought what I was seeing was specific to my own institution.
I didn't realize linguists had claimed a day guaranteed to be overlooked in the US, but /hæpi lɪŋwɨstɪks deɪ/!
November 26, 2025 at 1:50 PM
I didn't realize linguists had claimed a day guaranteed to be overlooked in the US, but /hæpi lɪŋwɨstɪks deɪ/!