Ian Bogost
@ibogost.com
PREORDER The Small Stuff: How to Lead a More Gratifying Life: http://bit.ly/49gyZmp
Barbara and David Thomas Distinguished Professor at WashU; Contributing writer at The Atlantic; author of 11 books. https://bogost.com
Barbara and David Thomas Distinguished Professor at WashU; Contributing writer at The Atlantic; author of 11 books. https://bogost.com
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Ian Bogost
@ibogost.com
· Nov 10
🚨 PLEASE PREORDER MY NEW BOOK 🚨
It's called The Small Stuff: How to Lead a More Gratifying Life, and it's about the sensory enchantment of everyday life.
Click here: www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Sm...
… or go wherever you buy books
(More info in the next post)
It's called The Small Stuff: How to Lead a More Gratifying Life, and it's about the sensory enchantment of everyday life.
Click here: www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Sm...
… or go wherever you buy books
(More info in the next post)
Eventually, someday, we will accept that there were only two philosophers of the second half of the twentieth century, Marshall McLuhan and George Lakoff.
February 10, 2026 at 2:44 AM
Eventually, someday, we will accept that there were only two philosophers of the second half of the twentieth century, Marshall McLuhan and George Lakoff.
I cannot express how much I long for Drafts on Bluesky.
Twitter was a constant exercise in storing unwise sentiments in order not to post them, and then later posting them unwisely anyway.
Twitter was a constant exercise in storing unwise sentiments in order not to post them, and then later posting them unwisely anyway.
February 10, 2026 at 12:06 AM
I cannot express how much I long for Drafts on Bluesky.
Twitter was a constant exercise in storing unwise sentiments in order not to post them, and then later posting them unwisely anyway.
Twitter was a constant exercise in storing unwise sentiments in order not to post them, and then later posting them unwisely anyway.
Reposted by Ian Bogost
Every business right now thinks its such an essential part of your life that you'd give them anything to keep using it and brother I am here to tell you I don't need a chat app that bad
Discord will soon require face scans or ID for all users, or restrict access
Discord will soon require face scans or ID for all users, or restrict access
Discord has announced a major change coming to the service as part of its aim to improve teen safety features. Starting in March, all users globally will be required to submit age verification via a face scan or submitted ID, or be given teen-level access restrictions.
more…
9to5mac.com
February 9, 2026 at 4:47 PM
Every business right now thinks its such an essential part of your life that you'd give them anything to keep using it and brother I am here to tell you I don't need a chat app that bad
This happened to me again today, so I am reposting:
America’s Worst Time Zone
Where the clocks are off in both directions
www.theatlantic.com
February 9, 2026 at 5:20 PM
This happened to me again today, so I am reposting:
Reposted by Ian Bogost
Americans encounter bureaucratic friction in almost all consumer experiences, including subscriptions, insurance, and rentals—and “the American government doesn’t help the situation,” @annielowrey.bsky.social argues:
America’s Annoyance Economy Is Growing
The government should protect consumers instead of annoying them.
bit.ly
February 9, 2026 at 5:15 PM
Americans encounter bureaucratic friction in almost all consumer experiences, including subscriptions, insurance, and rentals—and “the American government doesn’t help the situation,” @annielowrey.bsky.social argues:
Did you know doing something like historical advising for Bad Bunny is not necessarily the kind of thing that counts for tenure at American research universities?
Did you know we’ve been doing our part to change that at the Office of Public Scholarship at WashU?
Did you know we’re hiring?
Did you know we’ve been doing our part to change that at the Office of Public Scholarship at WashU?
Did you know we’re hiring?
February 9, 2026 at 2:19 PM
Did you know doing something like historical advising for Bad Bunny is not necessarily the kind of thing that counts for tenure at American research universities?
Did you know we’ve been doing our part to change that at the Office of Public Scholarship at WashU?
Did you know we’re hiring?
Did you know we’ve been doing our part to change that at the Office of Public Scholarship at WashU?
Did you know we’re hiring?
I am not even joking when I say that every time I see a Rivian I think of that show All Her Fault and that terrible character who drives the Rivian and the cheap narrative tricks that the show uses to keep us watching and think, ugh, Rivian, I hate them.
February 9, 2026 at 12:30 AM
I am not even joking when I say that every time I see a Rivian I think of that show All Her Fault and that terrible character who drives the Rivian and the cheap narrative tricks that the show uses to keep us watching and think, ugh, Rivian, I hate them.
Good news: I am no longer on a ladder and also I am not in a hospital.
February 8, 2026 at 9:18 PM
Good news: I am no longer on a ladder and also I am not in a hospital.
I teach an Atari 2600 programming class. Two years ago, I told my students that AI just wasn't able to write Atari code because it's weird, has strange timing, and the case base is esoteric.
Now that is … a lot less the case, at least.
Now that is … a lot less the case, at least.
February 8, 2026 at 7:33 PM
I teach an Atari 2600 programming class. Two years ago, I told my students that AI just wasn't able to write Atari code because it's weird, has strange timing, and the case base is esoteric.
Now that is … a lot less the case, at least.
Now that is … a lot less the case, at least.
Reposted by Ian Bogost
The Epstein files reveal that plenty of powerful people tolerated or participated in disgusting, shameful, and even criminal behavior—but they also bolster the case that there never was any grand conspiracy, @giladedelman.bsky.social argues.
What Everyone Assumes About Jeffrey Epstein
The theory that Epstein was blackmailing his rich contacts was always based on speculation.
bit.ly
February 8, 2026 at 2:45 PM
The Epstein files reveal that plenty of powerful people tolerated or participated in disgusting, shameful, and even criminal behavior—but they also bolster the case that there never was any grand conspiracy, @giladedelman.bsky.social argues.
Apples are so pointless. We have pears! Keep apples around for baking, sure. Eating a raw apple is akin to eating a raw onion.
February 8, 2026 at 1:58 AM
Apples are so pointless. We have pears! Keep apples around for baking, sure. Eating a raw apple is akin to eating a raw onion.
Not sure if this is right. Target had done immense damage to itself already by fouling up staffing and flubbing automated checkout after COVID. Target was awful for years already.
Contrast, say, Costco, which didn't make the political decisions Target did, but also remained actually functional.
Contrast, say, Costco, which didn't make the political decisions Target did, but also remained actually functional.
The Target situation is like a microcosmic example of the US tariff initiative. People thought they needed Target, until the boycott. Now they’ve found ways around it and don’t wanna go back. Other countries are now realizing they don’t need the big superpower USA and are adjusting accordingly.
February 7, 2026 at 6:14 PM
Not sure if this is right. Target had done immense damage to itself already by fouling up staffing and flubbing automated checkout after COVID. Target was awful for years already.
Contrast, say, Costco, which didn't make the political decisions Target did, but also remained actually functional.
Contrast, say, Costco, which didn't make the political decisions Target did, but also remained actually functional.
Okay so: a skillet is a pan but a saucepan is a pot? Idgi
February 7, 2026 at 12:15 AM
Okay so: a skillet is a pan but a saucepan is a pot? Idgi
Reposted by Ian Bogost
Guess what's in stock and shipping ASAP? brandonbird.myshopify.com/collections/...
February 5, 2026 at 5:02 PM
Guess what's in stock and shipping ASAP? brandonbird.myshopify.com/collections/...
Reposted by Ian Bogost
Devastated to see what’s happening at a place that I loved because it was the writing home of so many people I loved. what a gutting week
Should You Buy a Newspaper or a Yacht?
Advice for Jeff Bezos
www.theatlantic.com
February 6, 2026 at 12:33 AM
Devastated to see what’s happening at a place that I loved because it was the writing home of so many people I loved. what a gutting week
A couple important things:
- This applies to "Oklahoma institutions without R1 status"
- The two R1s must perform post-tenure review every 5 years
Not enough space to say more, but, these are incremental battles waged over a long time. You don't get back what you lost, but can always lose more.
- This applies to "Oklahoma institutions without R1 status"
- The two R1s must perform post-tenure review every 5 years
Not enough space to say more, but, these are incremental battles waged over a long time. You don't get back what you lost, but can always lose more.
Breaking, from me: An executive order from Oklahoma's governor directs most of the state's public colleges to "phase out tenure." #AcademicSky #HigherEd @chronicle.com
www.chronicle.com/article/tenu...
www.chronicle.com/article/tenu...
Tenure Will Be Eliminated at Most of Oklahoma’s Public Colleges, Governor Says
Gov. Kevin Stitt, a Republican, directed the state’s two-dozen regional universities and community colleges to phase out the practice. Existing faculty members will be grandfathered in.
www.chronicle.com
February 5, 2026 at 11:21 PM
A couple important things:
- This applies to "Oklahoma institutions without R1 status"
- The two R1s must perform post-tenure review every 5 years
Not enough space to say more, but, these are incremental battles waged over a long time. You don't get back what you lost, but can always lose more.
- This applies to "Oklahoma institutions without R1 status"
- The two R1s must perform post-tenure review every 5 years
Not enough space to say more, but, these are incremental battles waged over a long time. You don't get back what you lost, but can always lose more.
We have reached the point that a university president is not a scholar of law but just its top lawyer.
University of Southern California Names a Lawyer as Its New President
www.nytimes.com
February 5, 2026 at 1:25 AM
We have reached the point that a university president is not a scholar of law but just its top lawyer.
February 4, 2026 at 10:15 PM
Some of you may not be familiar with the City Museum in St. Louis, which is, basically, well, imagine if Guillermo del Toro designed an extremely dangerous nightmare playground for children. Anyway, the toddler area is, by my memory, right next to the electric chair.
February 4, 2026 at 6:19 PM
Some of you may not be familiar with the City Museum in St. Louis, which is, basically, well, imagine if Guillermo del Toro designed an extremely dangerous nightmare playground for children. Anyway, the toddler area is, by my memory, right next to the electric chair.
"I’m still enthralled by the subjects I studied," a reader wrote to me, "even though they are irrelevant to my work." He said that his son, who went to a large university, "sadly lacks that enthusiasm."
What room is there, anymore, for enthusiasm? Cost and professionalization has stamped them out.
What room is there, anymore, for enthusiasm? Cost and professionalization has stamped them out.
I spent several weeks this fall visiting elite liberal arts colleges, on the theory that these small, wealthy schools—with a singular focus on undergraduate education and almost no federal research money to threaten—are best poised to weather the crisis in higher education. Here's what I learned:
The Accidental Winners of the War on Higher Ed
Go to a small liberal-arts college if you can.
www.theatlantic.com
February 3, 2026 at 4:15 PM
"I’m still enthralled by the subjects I studied," a reader wrote to me, "even though they are irrelevant to my work." He said that his son, who went to a large university, "sadly lacks that enthusiasm."
What room is there, anymore, for enthusiasm? Cost and professionalization has stamped them out.
What room is there, anymore, for enthusiasm? Cost and professionalization has stamped them out.
It's still really bad here.
Some tornado-impacted residents in St. Louis are unhoused, others are living without heat
Community leaders say tornado-impacted residents need help with the basics, like retrieving ID cards and other personal documents lost in the storm. Without these items, many have been unable to apply...
www.stlpr.org
February 3, 2026 at 4:03 PM
It's still really bad here.
I wrote this 14 years ago. I still get infuriated every time Turing gets so misunderstood. Which is every time.
“But Turing never claimed that computers can be intelligent. He simply suggested that it would be appealing to consider how computers…might pretend to seem human in interesting ways.”
“But Turing never claimed that computers can be intelligent. He simply suggested that it would be appealing to consider how computers…might pretend to seem human in interesting ways.”
February 3, 2026 at 3:30 AM
I wrote this 14 years ago. I still get infuriated every time Turing gets so misunderstood. Which is every time.
“But Turing never claimed that computers can be intelligent. He simply suggested that it would be appealing to consider how computers…might pretend to seem human in interesting ways.”
“But Turing never claimed that computers can be intelligent. He simply suggested that it would be appealing to consider how computers…might pretend to seem human in interesting ways.”
Been thinking about this and the competency part is not actually the neorealism hospital drama, but a television show that is good.
Column | TV’s most satisfying escape right now is watching ‘competency porn’
Watching well-intended people do their jobs well on “The Pitt,” “Hijack” and “Survivor” is a comforting balm for our troubled times.
www.washingtonpost.com
February 3, 2026 at 1:22 AM
Been thinking about this and the competency part is not actually the neorealism hospital drama, but a television show that is good.
25 years ago, an entire Robert Zemeckis feature film was premised on the idea that FedEx could and wanted to reliably deliver packages anywhere in the world overnight.
February 2, 2026 at 10:58 PM
25 years ago, an entire Robert Zemeckis feature film was premised on the idea that FedEx could and wanted to reliably deliver packages anywhere in the world overnight.