Professor Nutella
@jpnudell.bsky.social
Pizza appreciator, ancient historian, reader, writer, baker. In some order.
Blogging here: https://joshuapnudell.com/blog/
Blogging here: https://joshuapnudell.com/blog/
It says something about something that this story isn’t all that unusual in late 2025.
www.cnn.com/2025/11/19/t...
www.cnn.com/2025/11/19/t...
Sales of AI-enabled teddy bear suspended after it gave advice on BDSM sex and where to find knives | CNN Business
Sales of an artificial intelligence-enabled plush toy have been suspended after it was found that it engaged in conversation around sexually explicit topics and offered potentially dangerous advice.
www.cnn.com
November 20, 2025 at 2:30 AM
It says something about something that this story isn’t all that unusual in late 2025.
www.cnn.com/2025/11/19/t...
www.cnn.com/2025/11/19/t...
I will be spending every minute between obligations for the rest of the semester in a cryopod attempting to preserve my energy. Thank you for your attention to this matter.
November 19, 2025 at 10:59 PM
I will be spending every minute between obligations for the rest of the semester in a cryopod attempting to preserve my energy. Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Reposted by Professor Nutella
Delighted that from January 2026 all research articles published in the Journal of Roman Archaeology @cambup-archaeology.cambridge.org will be Open Access
view.updates.cambridge.org?qs=85c24bbd7...
view.updates.cambridge.org?qs=85c24bbd7...
Cambridge University Press
view.updates.cambridge.org
November 12, 2025 at 5:54 PM
Delighted that from January 2026 all research articles published in the Journal of Roman Archaeology @cambup-archaeology.cambridge.org will be Open Access
view.updates.cambridge.org?qs=85c24bbd7...
view.updates.cambridge.org?qs=85c24bbd7...
Reposted by Professor Nutella
Few things bug me more than higher ed leaders saying that we lost our mission and lost the trust of the public, when we have actually been the target of a decades-long smear campaign by the right wing that worked. The moment we’re losing our mission is right now, in capitulation.
November 19, 2025 at 1:03 PM
Few things bug me more than higher ed leaders saying that we lost our mission and lost the trust of the public, when we have actually been the target of a decades-long smear campaign by the right wing that worked. The moment we’re losing our mission is right now, in capitulation.
And they say that American recommendation letters are over the top. Here's the new standard.
My favorite ever letter of recommendation is one Ficino wrote in the late 1500s, recommending a pupil for a secretary job with King Matthias Corvinus of Hungary, in which he says the young man is “the reincarnation of Saint Thomas Aquinas.”
It’s letter-of-recommendation season again, when universities ask me to rate a 21 year old student’s ability to “see the big picture of life” while I eat leftover pasta in a Tupperware…
November 19, 2025 at 8:31 PM
And they say that American recommendation letters are over the top. Here's the new standard.
Reposted by Professor Nutella
This is from Hunter's "The Measure of Homer".
Is there a photograph of this inscription ? @rogueclassicist.bsky.social @mperale.bsky.social
The section of the building that is thought to house this Homeric invitation is currently under restoration.
Is there a photograph of this inscription ? @rogueclassicist.bsky.social @mperale.bsky.social
The section of the building that is thought to house this Homeric invitation is currently under restoration.
November 17, 2025 at 9:31 PM
This is from Hunter's "The Measure of Homer".
Is there a photograph of this inscription ? @rogueclassicist.bsky.social @mperale.bsky.social
The section of the building that is thought to house this Homeric invitation is currently under restoration.
Is there a photograph of this inscription ? @rogueclassicist.bsky.social @mperale.bsky.social
The section of the building that is thought to house this Homeric invitation is currently under restoration.
Reposted by Professor Nutella
Not satisfied with just destroying their own brand goodwill, OS companies are now using AI to try to destroy the good names of the apps users install. (Scrivener taking out adds to explain how it has no AI but Apple adds some anyway.)
November 19, 2025 at 8:19 PM
Not satisfied with just destroying their own brand goodwill, OS companies are now using AI to try to destroy the good names of the apps users install. (Scrivener taking out adds to explain how it has no AI but Apple adds some anyway.)
I spent several months this year working on an essay on this topic and there were this topic that shocked me, such as this marketing:
"Most of Secret Desires’ ads on YouTube are about giving up on real-life connections and dating apps in favor of getting an AI girlfriend."
"Most of Secret Desires’ ads on YouTube are about giving up on real-life connections and dating apps in favor of getting an AI girlfriend."
This is a nuts story. An AI chatbot and image platform left millions of images exposed. They show what people are actually using the AI for: taking random women's yearbook, graduation, and social media photos and making super realistic hardcore porn with them
www.404media.co/ai-porn-secr...
www.404media.co/ai-porn-secr...
Massive Leak Shows Erotic Chatbot Users Turned Women’s Yearbook Pictures Into AI Porn
Chatbot roleplay and image generator platform SecretDesires.ai left cloud storage containers of nearly two million of images and videos exposed, including photos and full names of women from social me...
www.404media.co
November 19, 2025 at 8:03 PM
I spent several months this year working on an essay on this topic and there were this topic that shocked me, such as this marketing:
"Most of Secret Desires’ ads on YouTube are about giving up on real-life connections and dating apps in favor of getting an AI girlfriend."
"Most of Secret Desires’ ads on YouTube are about giving up on real-life connections and dating apps in favor of getting an AI girlfriend."
Reposted by Professor Nutella
I know the meetings at the highest level of Harvard are like "But if we fire Larry Summers for sexually harassing a grad student and emailing with Jeffrey Epstein, we'd have to fire all the other 'distinguished professors' who did that too!"
I know that at this point it's a subplot in the Epstein files drama, but I feel compelled to point out, once again, that Larry Summers HAS NO BUSINESS teaching students at ANY university ever again!
My latest cries into the abyss, in @thenation.com
www.thenation.com/article/soci...
My latest cries into the abyss, in @thenation.com
www.thenation.com/article/soci...
Why Is Larry Summers Still Employed?
The revelations about the economist’s attempts to pressure a women into a “relationship”—with guidance from Jeffrey Epstein—should finally disqualify him from teaching students.
www.thenation.com
November 19, 2025 at 4:30 PM
I know the meetings at the highest level of Harvard are like "But if we fire Larry Summers for sexually harassing a grad student and emailing with Jeffrey Epstein, we'd have to fire all the other 'distinguished professors' who did that too!"
Reposted by Professor Nutella
I've only had to apologize to my students for grading delays, showing up late to class, 1 time during Pandemic Zoom class when a student's little sibling walked in during a clip from The Life of Brian, & 1 light poisoning due to historical research project, but those last 2 were kinda on them.
It's not normal for a professor to start a class discussing how they "regret" being best buddies with a child sex trafficker and asking them for advice on how to abuse their position to coerce sex from former students.
He shouldn't be there at all. This is an institutional failure.
He shouldn't be there at all. This is an institutional failure.
Larry Summers discusses his “statement of regret” for his disturbing messages to Jeffrey Epstein with Harvard students
November 19, 2025 at 3:14 PM
I've only had to apologize to my students for grading delays, showing up late to class, 1 time during Pandemic Zoom class when a student's little sibling walked in during a clip from The Life of Brian, & 1 light poisoning due to historical research project, but those last 2 were kinda on them.
Reposted by Professor Nutella
that's interesting. academic dishonesty looks different too.
The bigger change is presentation, historically, these emails were visually chaotic: sudden colour changes, ALL CAPS, screenshots pasted at random. Classic signs of disordered thinking. Now they’re neat, structured, and grammatically consistent. The delusion hasn't changed, but the formatting has.
November 19, 2025 at 2:24 PM
that's interesting. academic dishonesty looks different too.
Reposted by Professor Nutella
LLMs give people with delusional belief systems a way to organise those beliefs. The model fills in gaps, supplies connective tissue, and wraps the madness in formal language.
It doesn't make the claims more credible to us, it just tidies them up.
It doesn't make the claims more credible to us, it just tidies them up.
November 19, 2025 at 2:22 PM
LLMs give people with delusional belief systems a way to organise those beliefs. The model fills in gaps, supplies connective tissue, and wraps the madness in formal language.
It doesn't make the claims more credible to us, it just tidies them up.
It doesn't make the claims more credible to us, it just tidies them up.
This has been a very stupid year for many reasons, but I have managed to read *a lot*. Audiobooks have helped, but I'm closing in on 100 total beyond audiobooks, roughly half of which are non-fiction that I read for an academic purpose.
November 18, 2025 at 11:41 PM
This has been a very stupid year for many reasons, but I have managed to read *a lot*. Audiobooks have helped, but I'm closing in on 100 total beyond audiobooks, roughly half of which are non-fiction that I read for an academic purpose.
TIL: Norwich Military Academy in Northfield, Vermont was founded in 1819 as the "American Literary, Scientific and Military Academy," and I'm particularly fascinated that "Literary" led the name.
November 18, 2025 at 10:41 PM
TIL: Norwich Military Academy in Northfield, Vermont was founded in 1819 as the "American Literary, Scientific and Military Academy," and I'm particularly fascinated that "Literary" led the name.
Reposted by Professor Nutella
i dunno man it sure does seem like all these global core internet backbone services outages coming in the wake of major layoffs and public announcements of shifting to AI for development work is something that feels like could be related
November 18, 2025 at 9:29 PM
i dunno man it sure does seem like all these global core internet backbone services outages coming in the wake of major layoffs and public announcements of shifting to AI for development work is something that feels like could be related
Reposted by Professor Nutella
Yes, important to note that disappearance of ACA supplemental premiums will push employer health plans up as the higher prices force younger people out of the larger pool of insured people. THIS IS HOW INSURANCE WORKS.
In CT, my son got a letter stating that he would continue to receive his $600 plus in Fed help, but that was a long time ago. We are not sure what his premium will be, but if he loses this, it will be over $800 per month, which I will have to help with. We may find out later at the 11th hour.
November 18, 2025 at 4:28 PM
Yes, important to note that disappearance of ACA supplemental premiums will push employer health plans up as the higher prices force younger people out of the larger pool of insured people. THIS IS HOW INSURANCE WORKS.
Reposted by Professor Nutella
People need to reckon with the hypocrisies of governments prepared to suport products that algorithmically fabricate history while stripping funding from the archives and repositories that hold actual historical artifacts. This is far more expansive than the cyberattack on the British Library.
November 18, 2025 at 2:36 PM
People need to reckon with the hypocrisies of governments prepared to suport products that algorithmically fabricate history while stripping funding from the archives and repositories that hold actual historical artifacts. This is far more expansive than the cyberattack on the British Library.
This is the last week before break and the penultimate week of my semester. The end is in sight, but today I'm very much feeling the weight of the term.
November 18, 2025 at 9:15 PM
This is the last week before break and the penultimate week of my semester. The end is in sight, but today I'm very much feeling the weight of the term.
Reposted by Professor Nutella
Can you imagine sending random wild animals to the White House with notes being like, "Here, this possum is to eat for Thanksgiving Dinner, release the Epstein Files. Also resign."?
Imagine this: it's 1926 and you're Calvin Coolidge, President of the United States. One of your constituents sends you a raccoon as a gift for the first family to EAT FOR THANKSGIVING DINNER.
That's how the Coolidge family ended up with Rebecca, keeping her as the White House pet, roaming freely.
That's how the Coolidge family ended up with Rebecca, keeping her as the White House pet, roaming freely.
November 18, 2025 at 4:33 PM
Can you imagine sending random wild animals to the White House with notes being like, "Here, this possum is to eat for Thanksgiving Dinner, release the Epstein Files. Also resign."?
Every business expert assures me that the field is quite simple, just identify a consumer need and fill it. So why am I bombarded by a steady stream of ads for gambling and AI slop?
November 18, 2025 at 3:50 PM
Every business expert assures me that the field is quite simple, just identify a consumer need and fill it. So why am I bombarded by a steady stream of ads for gambling and AI slop?
At an event tonight I had a chance to catch up with a former student who has really flourished in our McNair Scholars program that I recommended her for a while back during her first year on campus as a transfer student.
Mentorship matters, and it is one of my favorite parts of the job.
Mentorship matters, and it is one of my favorite parts of the job.
November 18, 2025 at 3:46 AM
At an event tonight I had a chance to catch up with a former student who has really flourished in our McNair Scholars program that I recommended her for a while back during her first year on campus as a transfer student.
Mentorship matters, and it is one of my favorite parts of the job.
Mentorship matters, and it is one of my favorite parts of the job.
Reposted by Professor Nutella
One of the strangest aspects of aging that they don't warn you about is watching as history gets rewritten right in front of your face and people 20 years younger than you confidently tell you about something you lived through and get it completely wrong.
November 17, 2025 at 10:11 PM
One of the strangest aspects of aging that they don't warn you about is watching as history gets rewritten right in front of your face and people 20 years younger than you confidently tell you about something you lived through and get it completely wrong.
I know that the whole "Icelandic Book Flood" thing is a marketing and social media thing, but I enjoy the excuse to get a book for everyone at our holiday gathering. Anyway, just placed this year's order at my local-ish independent bookstore.
November 17, 2025 at 8:53 PM
I know that the whole "Icelandic Book Flood" thing is a marketing and social media thing, but I enjoy the excuse to get a book for everyone at our holiday gathering. Anyway, just placed this year's order at my local-ish independent bookstore.
Reposted by Professor Nutella
New varia post: initial thoughts on completing three years of posts and keeping my writing muscles limber for when I have more time, plus an AcWriMo update, links about teaching, technology, and politics, plus my weekly media roundup.
joshuapnudell.com/2025/11/16/w...
joshuapnudell.com/2025/11/16/w...
Weekly Varia no. 156, 11/16/25
New varia post: initial thoughts on completing three years of posts and keeping my writing muscles limber for when I have more time, plus an AcWriMo update, links about teaching, technology, and po…
joshuapnudell.com
November 17, 2025 at 3:54 AM
New varia post: initial thoughts on completing three years of posts and keeping my writing muscles limber for when I have more time, plus an AcWriMo update, links about teaching, technology, and politics, plus my weekly media roundup.
joshuapnudell.com/2025/11/16/w...
joshuapnudell.com/2025/11/16/w...
Reposted by Professor Nutella
So, no, what I wrote above isn’t actually about owning this schmuck on the grounds of “AI” actually having the power to eliminate jobs. As I’ve said time and again, “AI” is merely a permission structure for antilabor decisions that businesses wanted to make in the first place.
November 17, 2025 at 1:41 PM
So, no, what I wrote above isn’t actually about owning this schmuck on the grounds of “AI” actually having the power to eliminate jobs. As I’ve said time and again, “AI” is merely a permission structure for antilabor decisions that businesses wanted to make in the first place.