Laurie Bridges
iorlaurie.bsky.social
Laurie Bridges
@iorlaurie.bsky.social
Academic Librarian. #EveryBookItsReader.
Talking about Wikipedia, #AIEthics and #AILiteracy.
I asked Perplexity a question and here’s the answer: The combined wealth of Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, Jensen Huang, and Sam Altman (over $1.1 trillion) is greater than the total household wealth of most individual European countries except the big four.
September 20, 2025 at 8:07 AM
Gmail is offering AI summaries of my email. No. Go away.
May 19, 2025 at 10:35 PM
Reposted by Laurie Bridges
Wanna reduce crime?

Open more libraries.

"we find within the nearby proximity of the library; there is a substantial reduction in frequency of burglaries, vandalism, robberies, fraud, and assaults."

link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Do public libraries help mitigate crime? Evidence from Kansas City, MO - Journal of Cultural Economics
We examine the relationship between public libraries and local crime rates. Previous studies have looked at different factors that could account for changes in crime, but few have focused on cultural ...
link.springer.com
May 12, 2025 at 12:50 AM
Why is a president allowed unlimited executive orders? This is bananas. I’d like to suggest a limit! One day would be a good start! How many executive orders did previous presidents make. Honestly I’d like no more than a couple a year.
April 29, 2025 at 1:32 AM
Because I am constantly contemplating, “How did we get here?” This is a good read: www.nytimes.com/2025/04/24/o...
Opinion | The Anti-Woke Right and the Free Speech Con (Gift Article)
DeSantis walked so that Trump could run.
www.nytimes.com
April 24, 2025 at 7:22 PM
Thinking about when I saw this Smashing Pumpkins concert—and how few people were there. Sometimes I’m nostalgic for the great music scene in Omaha in the late 80s and early 90s.
April 16, 2025 at 3:39 AM
Reposted by Laurie Bridges
SCOOP: DOGE notified the Institute of Museum and Library Sciences (IMLS) today that the entire staff is being put on administrative leave effective immediately, I’ve learned from an agency source.

They’ll be cancelling huge swaths of grants/contracts and starting a Reduction in Force (RIF).
March 31, 2025 at 6:01 PM
Reposted by Laurie Bridges
Democratic Leaders Stand Real Still In Hopes No One Notices Them
Democratic Leaders Stand Real Still In Hopes No One Notices Them
WASHINGTON—With the elected officials trying their hardest not to move a muscle, reports confirmed Monday that top Democratic leaders in Congress were standing real still in hopes that the American pe...
theonion.com
March 14, 2025 at 2:25 AM
Reposted by Laurie Bridges
Walz: "The idea that the secretary of education would not know what IDEA is -- individuals with disability in education act -- that's like your mechanic not knowing how to put air in your tire. And she's in charge of this nation's education progress. It is catastrophic."
March 13, 2025 at 12:35 AM
I bought the “Killing Me Softly” album at a garage sale down the street in 1978 (abt). I was in kindergarten or 1st grade. I loved the album cover with its cut out piano. I played it many times on my children’s record player in my bedroom. RIP Roberta Flack
February 24, 2025 at 7:04 PM
I support Ukraine. 🇺🇦
February 24, 2025 at 6:56 PM
Reposted by Laurie Bridges
“The European Federation of Academies of Sciences and Humanities expresses grave concern over the escalating threats to academic freedom, both in the United States and beyond” 🧪
European academies have isssued a joint statement on what is going on in US here: allea.org/wp-content/u...
allea.org
February 23, 2025 at 5:49 PM
Reposted by Laurie Bridges
Today I encountered my first AI-generated news article that included a manufactured quote from me on a topic I did not speak or post about, just in case you're wondering how AI is going.
February 19, 2025 at 6:55 PM
Given the news of the day I am doubling-down on my dedication to Wikipedia. New way to enjoy Wikipedia: WikiTok!!

arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025...
Developer creates endless Wikipedia feed to fight algorithm addiction
WikiTok cures boredom in spare moments with wholesome swipe-up Wikipedia article discovery.
arstechnica.com
February 17, 2025 at 7:49 PM
As a Wikipedian I can tell you there is no way EM will ever purchase Wikipedia. It’s worldwide, in over 300 languages, and supported by thousands upon thousands of editors and volunteers who feel passionately about its place in the world. www.theatlantic.com/technology/a...
Elon Musk Wants What He Can’t Have: Wikipedia
Musk and other right-wing tech figures have been on a campaign to delegitimize the digital encyclopedia. What happens if they succeed?
www.theatlantic.com
February 6, 2025 at 3:27 AM
I’m watching “The Net”. A 1995 classic! (The year I graduated from college).
February 5, 2025 at 3:46 AM
Reposted by Laurie Bridges
A professor was lecturing to his English class: “In English, a double negative forms a positive. In some languages, though, a double negative is still a negative. However, there's no language where in a double positive can form a negative.”

A voice from the back of the room piped up, “Yeah, right.”
January 28, 2025 at 11:02 PM
It always tickles me when undergraduate students ask how many books they can check out at one time.
January 29, 2025 at 1:02 AM
“Extreme behavior”? Are they talking about people, wind, fire, all?
January 14, 2025 at 5:50 AM
Curiosity, searching behavior, and Wikipedia. m.slashdot.org/story/437465
Slashdot
m.slashdot.org
January 11, 2025 at 7:31 PM