Maximilian Schich
@schichmax.bsky.social
Professor for #CulturalDataAnalytics at Tallinn University in #Estonia
#complexity #netsci #arthistory #aesthetics
#culturalanalytics #compsocsci #infovis
"My PhD is in Art History" – Dr. Zoidberg
(max/max)
#complexity #netsci #arthistory #aesthetics
#culturalanalytics #compsocsci #infovis
"My PhD is in Art History" – Dr. Zoidberg
(max/max)
Pinned
Maximilian Schich
@schichmax.bsky.social
· Nov 12
![[flow diagram]
A Systematic Science of Art and Culture [going back to] Leibniz [via four paths]
[1] Network Science > Graph Theory > Euler 1736 > Leibniz
[2] Topological Data Analysis > Topology > Poincaré 1882 > Leibniz
[3] Computation > Shannon 1938 > Couturat 1911 > Leibniz
[4] Art History [Warburg/Panofski/Wittkower] > Cassirer 1927 > Leibniz
[1, 2, and 4, meet in eight lines of Leibniz!]](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:mjfngciy3l5es4c6bzsovlpl/bafkreicekc3ydprcrclxfug72kd6qynmqjrvzhwehqb2bgszkloctcvvjy@jpeg)
#CulturalAnalysisSitus, because
#NetSci, #Topology, #Computation, and #ArtHistory
share a common foundation in Leibniz
Receipts: archiv.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/artdok/6347/...
#NetSci, #Topology, #Computation, and #ArtHistory
share a common foundation in Leibniz
Receipts: archiv.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/artdok/6347/...
It's like the inverse of the tSNE/UMAP curse of dimensionality: Doing a minimalist intervention on a 2-dimensional piece of fabric, to produce a "manifold" that convincingly wraps a 3-dimensional body in a multidimensional set of real-life situations. I'd love to have that kind of intuition.
February 10, 2026 at 9:51 PM
It's like the inverse of the tSNE/UMAP curse of dimensionality: Doing a minimalist intervention on a 2-dimensional piece of fabric, to produce a "manifold" that convincingly wraps a 3-dimensional body in a multidimensional set of real-life situations. I'd love to have that kind of intuition.
There is a fun connection to dataviz: You'll love Halston's "Elsa caftan" scene in the 2021 Netflix series & minute 20-25 in the 2019 documentary that explains Halston's mind-blowing geometric intuition for minimalist, often "bias cut" dress patterns, which produce the famous flow. Deeply inspiring!
February 10, 2026 at 9:45 PM
There is a fun connection to dataviz: You'll love Halston's "Elsa caftan" scene in the 2021 Netflix series & minute 20-25 in the 2019 documentary that explains Halston's mind-blowing geometric intuition for minimalist, often "bias cut" dress patterns, which produce the famous flow. Deeply inspiring!
Togetherness had goodness in it. Now not even the main Olympics account on Youtube serves the global community spirit, while celebration and empathy for diversity is rewarded with death threats.
February 10, 2026 at 7:56 PM
Togetherness had goodness in it. Now not even the main Olympics account on Youtube serves the global community spirit, while celebration and empathy for diversity is rewarded with death threats.
Reposted by Maximilian Schich
They have now removed the Pride flag from the Stonewall Inn.
Erasure. Just like the Nazis.
gaycitynews.com/trump-rainbo...
Erasure. Just like the Nazis.
gaycitynews.com/trump-rainbo...
Trump administration removes Rainbow Flag from Stonewall National Monument
The Trump administration removed a large Rainbow Flag from a flagpole at the Stonewall National Monument, the National Park Service confirmed to Gay City News
gaycitynews.com
February 10, 2026 at 5:12 AM
They have now removed the Pride flag from the Stonewall Inn.
Erasure. Just like the Nazis.
gaycitynews.com/trump-rainbo...
Erasure. Just like the Nazis.
gaycitynews.com/trump-rainbo...
Reposted by Maximilian Schich
Robert #Habeck hat einen interessante kleine Einschätzung geteilt, wie sich die Stimmung in den USA zwischen Oktober (da war er in #Philadelphia) und jetzt (wo er in #Harvard Station macht) verändert hat. Wo Schock und Lähmung waren, ist jetzt Kampfgeist. Und die #Midterms sind ein Riesenthema.
February 9, 2026 at 11:33 AM
Robert #Habeck hat einen interessante kleine Einschätzung geteilt, wie sich die Stimmung in den USA zwischen Oktober (da war er in #Philadelphia) und jetzt (wo er in #Harvard Station macht) verändert hat. Wo Schock und Lähmung waren, ist jetzt Kampfgeist. Und die #Midterms sind ein Riesenthema.
Functionally the same principle: Anecdotally, whenever a big evolution paper in Nature or Science hits the press, Fox News seems to feature some creationist bullshit. It works for their narrow-minded audience, which cannot cope with evidence for diversity in music or any other realm of life.
February 9, 2026 at 9:10 AM
Functionally the same principle: Anecdotally, whenever a big evolution paper in Nature or Science hits the press, Fox News seems to feature some creationist bullshit. It works for their narrow-minded audience, which cannot cope with evidence for diversity in music or any other realm of life.
While your tiny dot is placed in your primary community, remember that tSNE overemphasizes clusters, Euclidean distance may be deceiving, and spooky action at a distance is a very real thing.
February 9, 2026 at 8:33 AM
While your tiny dot is placed in your primary community, remember that tSNE overemphasizes clusters, Euclidean distance may be deceiving, and spooky action at a distance is a very real thing.
underrated post ...
February 9, 2026 at 8:31 AM
underrated post ...
Ye are many...
I made a map of 3.4 million Bluesky users - see if you can find yourself!
bluesky-map.theo.io
I've seen some similar projects, but IMO this seems to better capture some of the fine-grained detail
bluesky-map.theo.io
I've seen some similar projects, but IMO this seems to better capture some of the fine-grained detail
Bluesky Map
Interactive map of 3.4 million Bluesky users, visualised by their follower pattern.
bluesky-map.theo.io
February 9, 2026 at 8:26 AM
Ye are many...
Join us this Monday, Feb 9,
@cudanlab.bsky.social
for a lecture & discussion with
#JanneHolmén of #UppsalaUniversity
on "A #History of #Diagrams" (Paleolithic to present)
16:00-18:00 Tallinn time UTC+2 🇪🇪🇪🇺🌍
15 hours from this post.
Details & zoom: cudan.tlu.ee/events/2026-...
#dataviz
@cudanlab.bsky.social
for a lecture & discussion with
#JanneHolmén of #UppsalaUniversity
on "A #History of #Diagrams" (Paleolithic to present)
16:00-18:00 Tallinn time UTC+2 🇪🇪🇪🇺🌍
15 hours from this post.
Details & zoom: cudan.tlu.ee/events/2026-...
#dataviz
February 8, 2026 at 8:26 PM
Join us this Monday, Feb 9,
@cudanlab.bsky.social
for a lecture & discussion with
#JanneHolmén of #UppsalaUniversity
on "A #History of #Diagrams" (Paleolithic to present)
16:00-18:00 Tallinn time UTC+2 🇪🇪🇪🇺🌍
15 hours from this post.
Details & zoom: cudan.tlu.ee/events/2026-...
#dataviz
@cudanlab.bsky.social
for a lecture & discussion with
#JanneHolmén of #UppsalaUniversity
on "A #History of #Diagrams" (Paleolithic to present)
16:00-18:00 Tallinn time UTC+2 🇪🇪🇪🇺🌍
15 hours from this post.
Details & zoom: cudan.tlu.ee/events/2026-...
#dataviz
Without naming your job, tell me something you say over and over again at work.
"We should look at this at log scale."
"We should look at this at log scale."
Without naming your job, tell me something you say over and over again at work.
"Das ist komplizierter, und es fing früher an."
"Das ist komplizierter, und es fing früher an."
Without naming your job, tell me something you say over and over again at work.
„Die Datei muss wahrscheinlich noch normalisiert werden.“
„Die Datei muss wahrscheinlich noch normalisiert werden.“
February 8, 2026 at 10:30 AM
Without naming your job, tell me something you say over and over again at work.
"We should look at this at log scale."
"We should look at this at log scale."
Reposted by Maximilian Schich
Attention visual journalists: I’m always open to pitches for @sciam.bsky.social’s Graphic Science column. The column tells concise stories on topics in science via graphics (dataviz, illustrated diagrams, comic-style explainers, etc). It appears in both print & online. DM me for a pitch guide.
February 7, 2026 at 2:59 PM
Attention visual journalists: I’m always open to pitches for @sciam.bsky.social’s Graphic Science column. The column tells concise stories on topics in science via graphics (dataviz, illustrated diagrams, comic-style explainers, etc). It appears in both print & online. DM me for a pitch guide.
Greetings from the Early Cambrian.
February 6, 2026 at 7:27 PM
Greetings from the Early Cambrian.
🇩🇪 #German #softpower 💔
Imagine a world where all countries could watch all public sport broadcasting in all other countries, in their language.
Imagine a world where all countries could watch all public sport broadcasting in all other countries, in their language.
February 6, 2026 at 9:17 AM
🇩🇪 #German #softpower 💔
Imagine a world where all countries could watch all public sport broadcasting in all other countries, in their language.
Imagine a world where all countries could watch all public sport broadcasting in all other countries, in their language.
Reposted by Maximilian Schich
Every American needs to watch this:
February 5, 2026 at 8:41 PM
Every American needs to watch this:
@mrosvall.bsky.social et al. just published the harvest of 16 years of network community finding using the map equation (random walks).
The result is one of these papers with many figures that would be the single main figure in any other paper (e.g. behold the "mammal bioregions" map below).
The result is one of these papers with many figures that would be the single main figure in any other paper (e.g. behold the "mammal bioregions" map below).
February 6, 2026 at 6:11 AM
@mrosvall.bsky.social et al. just published the harvest of 16 years of network community finding using the map equation (random walks).
The result is one of these papers with many figures that would be the single main figure in any other paper (e.g. behold the "mammal bioregions" map below).
The result is one of these papers with many figures that would be the single main figure in any other paper (e.g. behold the "mammal bioregions" map below).
INBOX: Washington Post Ukraine Correspondent Lizzie Johnson announces that she has been laid off in the middle of a below-freezing war zone without power, heat, or running water.
February 5, 2026 at 7:15 AM
Today I cancelled my long-term @washingtonpost.com subscription. Don't ask why I still had it. The observable changes were enough to cancel for a long time.
Today WaPo laid off 14 climate reporters, and a reporter while on assignment in Ukraine, while under attack and ink freezing in her pen.
Today WaPo laid off 14 climate reporters, and a reporter while on assignment in Ukraine, while under attack and ink freezing in her pen.
I don't say this often but: I'm so proud to be a climate and environment reporter. We cover an issue that is vitally important to humanity and the natural world. 14 of my climate colleagues at the Post were laid off today and I'm devastated.
www.climatecoloredgoggles.com/p/washington...
www.climatecoloredgoggles.com/p/washington...
Breaking: Washington Post gutting its climate team
Clean energy dies in darkness. Courtesy of Jeff Bezos.
www.climatecoloredgoggles.com
February 5, 2026 at 7:15 AM
Today I cancelled my long-term @washingtonpost.com subscription. Don't ask why I still had it. The observable changes were enough to cancel for a long time.
Today WaPo laid off 14 climate reporters, and a reporter while on assignment in Ukraine, while under attack and ink freezing in her pen.
Today WaPo laid off 14 climate reporters, and a reporter while on assignment in Ukraine, while under attack and ink freezing in her pen.
3/3 Take them to the library; pull out random book and show them the back matter keyword index; go to index card catalog (or OPAC) and search one of the keywords; get more books on the topic; repeat ping pong in the bi-partite situation; then discuss full Entity-Relationship diagram of library DB.
February 2, 2026 at 11:39 PM
3/3 Take them to the library; pull out random book and show them the back matter keyword index; go to index card catalog (or OPAC) and search one of the keywords; get more books on the topic; repeat ping pong in the bi-partite situation; then discuss full Entity-Relationship diagram of library DB.
2/3 Bring bunch of books with keyword indices in back matter = 1:n; also bring library catalog print outs for sample keywords = n:1 = "inverted index"; 1:n + n:1 = 2 sides of a bipartite network; now let them imagine n:n relationship, eg n people in n locations; discuss a large ER-diagram in print.
February 2, 2026 at 11:39 PM
2/3 Bring bunch of books with keyword indices in back matter = 1:n; also bring library catalog print outs for sample keywords = n:1 = "inverted index"; 1:n + n:1 = 2 sides of a bipartite network; now let them imagine n:n relationship, eg n people in n locations; discuss a large ER-diagram in print.
1/3 Students circle all they know in class photo roster on paper; each page an edge set line; convert to edge list; replace ids with random bird names; establish bird-feature network based on outfit colors; draw directed bird-bird & bipartite bird-feature network. Let them guess which bird they are.
February 2, 2026 at 11:39 PM
1/3 Students circle all they know in class photo roster on paper; each page an edge set line; convert to edge list; replace ids with random bird names; establish bird-feature network based on outfit colors; draw directed bird-bird & bipartite bird-feature network. Let them guess which bird they are.
"Here we measured geographical biases in the representation of cities in a large Soviet news-media corpus..."
@cudanlab.bsky.social in #NatureCities @nature.com
#MikhailTamm, @mila-oiva.bsky.social, #KseniaMukhina,
@metsmark.bsky.social & @schichmax.bsky.social
Free read rdcu.be/e1UvJ
#Ukraine 🇺🇦
@cudanlab.bsky.social in #NatureCities @nature.com
#MikhailTamm, @mila-oiva.bsky.social, #KseniaMukhina,
@metsmark.bsky.social & @schichmax.bsky.social
Free read rdcu.be/e1UvJ
#Ukraine 🇺🇦
February 2, 2026 at 7:42 PM
"Here we measured geographical biases in the representation of cities in a large Soviet news-media corpus..."
@cudanlab.bsky.social in #NatureCities @nature.com
#MikhailTamm, @mila-oiva.bsky.social, #KseniaMukhina,
@metsmark.bsky.social & @schichmax.bsky.social
Free read rdcu.be/e1UvJ
#Ukraine 🇺🇦
@cudanlab.bsky.social in #NatureCities @nature.com
#MikhailTamm, @mila-oiva.bsky.social, #KseniaMukhina,
@metsmark.bsky.social & @schichmax.bsky.social
Free read rdcu.be/e1UvJ
#Ukraine 🇺🇦
Stare at this! And then stop #xenophobia at its roots!
I'm working on a single graphic that illustrates how participatory propaganda becomes policy in the second Trump administration, particularly around the case of "They're Eating the Pets".
Still hoping we'll get to take that last label away before those ?s resolve.
Still hoping we'll get to take that last label away before those ?s resolve.
![Title: “They’re Eating the Pets”: From Participatory Propaganda to Policy in Trump 2.0
Slide contains a graphic with arrows moving clockwise, suggesting a circular process. At the top, are about ten large bubbles with the label “GOP Political Elites”. At the bottom are about a hundred small bubbles, with the label “Audiences”. Up the left side are a series of bubbles of increasing size, labeled “Influencers”.
Arrow [1] runs from GOP Political Elites down to Audiences and has 2 labels:
Political elites on the right set an “anti-immigration” frame during the 2024 election.
JD Vance claims Springfield has been “overwhelmed” by Haitian immigrants [July 10, 2024]
Arrow [2] runs up from Audiences to Elites and contains 3 labels:
A Facebook user in Ohio shared her (false) suspicion that a neighbor’s daughter’s friend’s missing cat had been eaten by Haitian immigrants. [Sept 2024]
The story percolated up through online influencers.
Online activists created AI-generated images or “memes” of Trump saving pets.
Arrow [3] runs down from Elites to Audiences and contains 2 labels:
GOP political leaders repeated the claims and amplified the memes.
Trump repeated the rumor from the debate stage. [Sept 10 2024]
Arrow [4] runs up from Audiences to Elites and contains 2 labels:
Online audiences continued to engage, cheering the rumors on, repeating and retweeting.
“They’re eating the pets” became a meme and a jingle
Arrow [5] runs down from Elites to Audiences and contains 2 labels, highlighted against a white background:
Trump administration rescinds TPS status for Haitian immigrants (ending Feb 3 2026) [Nov 2025]
Trump administration begins detaining and deporting Haitian immigrants? [Feb ?? 2026]
There are two images on the side, screenshots from social media. The first is Donald Trump on a debate stage (from Sept 10, 2024). The second is a synthetic AI image of Donald Trump in a blue suit, carrying a cat, and running away from a group of brown-skinned men in the background.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:h3t5rqlvuaorq42yckpijirj/bafkreiggmmo32ws7eeuuttre3r4cwy7zt7ir43b7oi7eutlbk66xvqkvou@jpeg)
February 2, 2026 at 7:39 AM
Stare at this! And then stop #xenophobia at its roots!