Albert S. Fu
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novumsimulacrum.com
Albert S. Fu
@novumsimulacrum.com
#Sociology prof that plays video games & studies the #BuiltEnvironment. Taiwanese American in PA. Irvine + Binghamton alum. Author of Risky Cities: The Physical and Fiscal Nature of Disaster Capitalism https://tinyurl.com/jkvbxcn4 Views are my own
Watched Freakier Friday with extended family over the Thanksgiving weekend. The immigration scene certainly hit different given recent news.
November 30, 2025 at 3:18 AM
Reposted by Albert S. Fu
A thread of directed acyclic graphs (DAGs) that look like record covers... because that's EXACTLY what the world needs

1. Huey Lewis and the News: link.springer.com/chapter/10.1...
November 28, 2025 at 11:36 AM
American politics is like a bad TV show that keeps jumping the shark
November 22, 2025 at 10:48 PM
It's national. It's reading. McLuhan & Postman saw this coming. Long form reading improve writing & analytical skills. They aren't doing it. This is "bear on a treadmill." I fully admit to skimming & reading reviews (written by other academics). But #CheatGPT skips that.
Harvard Students Skip Class and Still Get High Grades, Faculty Say
Many students don’t do the reading and don’t speak up in class, according to a report. Now, professors are trying to change a campus culture they say hurts achievement and stifles speech.
www.nytimes.com
November 21, 2025 at 3:03 AM
Yet for about a week Android Auto refused to take my voice navigation requests. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/18/t...
Google Unveils Gemini 3, With Improved Coding and Search Abilities
www.nytimes.com
November 18, 2025 at 6:16 PM
This is already bad, let's hope the land isn't sold off to private developers. www.post-gazette.com/news/educati...
How could Penn State campus properties be used after closure?
It would be an “economic development death sentence” to lose Fayette County’s sole school offering four-year degrees, says Muriel Johnson-Nuttall,...
www.post-gazette.com
November 16, 2025 at 9:14 PM
Daughter and Turkish wife are sticking the meat in mantou 饅頭 steamed buns. Fusion!
Social media is either great or horrible. I'm trying out a homemade döner kebab trick I saw. Let's see how this turns out. If it fails, the lentil soup is good to go
November 14, 2025 at 10:18 PM
Social media is either great or horrible. I'm trying out a homemade döner kebab trick I saw. Let's see how this turns out. If it fails, the lentil soup is good to go
November 14, 2025 at 7:29 PM
Reposted by Albert S. Fu
people “embracing” AI in their classroom…you are ushering in the thing that is supposed to replace you not just as instructor but as source of knowledge, after it fed off your blood and guts

“embracing the bubonic plague-infested rats in the classroom"
Message to all faculty: your expertise is no longer trusted or valued at this so-called “university.”
November 14, 2025 at 2:06 PM
Rally for higher ed. in Philly w/ my @apscuf.org union siblings.
November 7, 2025 at 6:54 PM
Reposted by Albert S. Fu
Today is the day! Looking forward to standing up for higher ed across the state! Details: www.apscuf.org/nov7rally
November 7, 2025 at 2:39 PM
Reposted by Albert S. Fu
Who has the Power?
Rally & Teach-In: Trump, McCormick, and the Billionaires behind attacks on Higher Ed
Friday Nov. 7th, Noon - 1pm
Outside Senator McCormick’s Office at 20th & Market, Philadelphia. JOIN US!
actionnetwork.org/events/who-h...
October 29, 2025 at 6:08 PM
Making changes to your syllabus, even a little, results in a butterfly effect. Ripples mess up due dates and other things. Ugh
November 1, 2025 at 7:43 PM
It looks like I need to completely revise my final paper assignment due to the government shutdown. Of course, this is minor compared to all the workers who aren't being paid and are threatened with being fired.
October 28, 2025 at 1:17 PM
I'm enjoying a new project buzz. Excited about my research right now. I've been digging up archival material, putting together flow charts, putting data into Excel, etc. It's all fun, because it's all new.
October 25, 2025 at 2:36 AM
"She told the student newspaper that Ursinus took steps... to better align academics with experiential learning and career prep." - If every admin is saying the same thing, how do they compete?
Ursinus College suddenly removes president, citing ‘best interests of the college’s long-term success’
President Robyn E. Hannigan said she was let go Thursday morning. She had been with the small liberal arts school in Collegeville since 2022.
www.inquirer.com
October 24, 2025 at 12:35 PM
Reposted by Albert S. Fu
"Research has shown that, inside some companies, workers begin to see their colleagues who use generative AI as less creative, even less trustworthy."
Hi. I wrote an essay about AI slop: How it feels like an invasive species for the internet. How its boosters describe building a future that’s devoid of craft. How frictionlessness can be nihilistic & how this stuff seems to leach part of our shared humanity out of the world. I hope you'll read it.
AI’s Invasive Species
The slop is winning.
www.theatlantic.com
October 21, 2025 at 9:45 AM
This is kind of hilarious. In the 1950s, drywall producer National Gypsum used Muzak to ease "worker tension." Despite the claims, it didn't stop their factory workers and miners from striking.
October 18, 2025 at 7:03 PM
Going through old labor/union publications for my book project. On my head I'm saying f- Gompers repeatedly for the anti-Chinese stuff that keeps popping up.
October 18, 2025 at 12:37 AM
Still experimenting with Zotero + Obsidian. I'm finding the Obsidian is a great place to organize archival material and data.
October 16, 2025 at 3:34 PM
Reading some old school: Baran and Sweezy, Braverman, Chandler, Gouldner, etc.
October 12, 2025 at 8:48 PM
9 y/o just asked me if I "properly quoted people in my book," because "they have a copyright" (Fu, 2025). She insisted I quote her correctly for this post.
October 12, 2025 at 11:35 AM
I only met Kent once in person. Yet, it really shaped how I reconcile the history of AANHPI exclusion in pockets of labor and the power unions can bring to the community. I even had a draft email to Kent that sadly did not get sent before his passing. Rest in power.
Community Coalition on Instagram: "Today, we mourn the loss of labor leader Kent Wong. Kent's commitment to every worker showed generations of organizers what courageous, principled leadership looks like. His life’s work helped build a broader, more just movement rooted in solidarity and love. Community Coalition was honored to recognize Kent’s leadership with the Bert Corona Award at our 2006 gala. Nearly two decades later, his example still lights our path. Rest in power, Kent."
134 likes, 5 comments - cocosouthla on October 8, 2025: "Today, we mourn the loss of labor leader Kent Wong. Kent's commitment to every worker showed generations of organizers what courageous, principled leadership looks like. His life’s work helped build a broader, more just movement rooted in solidarity and love. Community Coalition was honored to recognize Kent’s leadership with the Bert Corona Award at our 2006 gala. Nearly two decades later, his example still lights our path. Rest in power, Kent.".
www.instagram.com
October 9, 2025 at 1:51 AM
Today, 9 y/o read an excerpt from CLR James, On Dialectics. Of course, I had to explain dialectics to her. Yes, I'm starting her early.
October 9, 2025 at 1:10 AM