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thalesdisciple.bsky.social
Joshua Bowman
@thalesdisciple.bsky.social
1.3K followers 550 following 1.2K posts
Associate professor of mathematics.
Hymn aficionado.
Large absent-minded spirit.

Resist simple narratives.
Cultivate an abolitionist imagination.
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Reposted by Joshua Bowman
mathprofpeter.bsky.social
Here's my first-draft version of this syllabus statement, *heavily* influenced by Spencer (like many things that I do).
4.2.1. A Note on Generative AI and LLMs The short version of this note is, simply, “Don’t use them.” The medium-length version of this note is is that this course is one that will require you, first of all, to think deeply. The course includes calculations, computations, and other things like that, but most important is the deep thinking we’ll do about the objects we learn about, the properties of them, and how they interact with each other. My stance is that there is no practical, helpful, or ethical way to use generative AI and large language models to accomplish or assist with this. I promise you that in whatever task or process you consider, these tools will do a less-than-good job and reduce your opportunity to think deeply. Mathematics is a communal activity, done by communicating with each other. While I hope that this class reflects this, I implore you to choose human communication whenever you might otherwise decide to use a tech company’s forgery of dialogue. For the long version of this note, or for some ideas of productive alternatives to whatever you might think to use a generative AI tool for, please visit me in office hours or send me an email. I’d love to talk with you about ways that we can reduce our reliance on the tech industry. Last, and equally important, I ask that you respect me and the work I’ve done by refraining from inputting my textbook, course notes, activities, practice problems, or examples into these tools for any reason.
January 8, 2026 at 3:15 AM
thalesdisciple.bsky.social
Thinking tonight about how my university’s administration decided to censor a piece of art because it contained a patch that said “Save the children. Abolish ICE.”
January 8, 2026 at 1:28 AM
Reposted by Joshua Bowman
dccmath.bsky.social
It's a new year, and I'm in school planning today. Here are six bite-sized alternative grading ideas for the new year: gradingforgrowth.com/p/thoughts-f...
Thoughts for the new year
Bite-sized ideas on alternative grading in 2026
gradingforgrowth.com
January 5, 2026 at 1:44 PM
Reposted by Joshua Bowman
johannamath.bsky.social
#MathSky #JMM2026 It is 4 weeks until Feb. 1, better known as the AWM/MfA Essay Contest deadline! That's plenty of time for a student to interview a mathematician whose gender is underrepresented in math and write an essay about them. Contest rules below:
Student Essay Contest
Student Essay Contest Sponsored by AWM and Math for America To increase awareness of the ongoing contributions to the mathematical sciences by women and to promote gender inclusivity, the Associatio...
awm-math.org
January 4, 2026 at 9:40 PM
thalesdisciple.bsky.social
Cool.
Merriam-Webster Your 2026 Word GOAT
January 1, 2026 at 4:15 PM
Reposted by Joshua Bowman
science.esa.int
On the eight day of Christmas, XMM-Newton sent to us
An X-ray flare report 
From the newly awakened black hole Ansky 🕳️

Discover the full image here 👉 https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/XMM-Newton/From_boring_to_bursting_a_giant_black_hole_awakens
🔭
This illustration of a black hole is presented as a Christmas bauble shape surrounded by Christmas tree branches. The artist’s impression itself shows a bright disc of purplish, white and gold lines surrounding a black ellipse-shaped area, that looks like a hole in space. A ball of shining material pierces through the disc; an eruption of bright white-to-gold rays encircles the small hole in the disc provoked by the passage of the shining ball.
January 1, 2026 at 4:02 PM
Reposted by Joshua Bowman
thalesdisciple.bsky.social
First visit to the Autry Museum today. The current Future Imaginaries exhibit is mind-blowing. theautry.org/exhibitions/...
Stirs Up the Dust from the series Thunder Up Above 2011 Feathers, beads, synthetic fabric Wendy Red Star Apsáalooke (Crow), born 1981 Gift of Loren G. Lipson, M.D. Autry Museum; 2018.15.1 Wendy Red Star is known for photographing herself within elaborately constructed scenes, engaging the viewer directly and foregrounding her presence within narratives of her own design. In Stirs Up the Dust, from a series of celestial couture garments titled Thunder Up Above, Red Star reimagines the regalia associated with powwow—a circular dance celebration found throughout Indigenous Plains cultures, including Red Star's Crow Nation-in futuristic terms. A powerful form of self-expression, powwow regalia has morphed over time from buckskin, beadwork, and feathers to embrace satin, lamé, and sequins. In Stirs Up the Dust, Red Star brings a feminist lens (women have only been allowed to dance in powwow circles since 1953) to this iconic look, using candy-colored streamers, an elaborate bustle, and a conceptual headpiece reminiscent of the outlandish headgear seen on high-fashion runways. Performed within a Martian landscape, Red Star's regalia projects the wearer into the future, bringing her high-style, cosmic powwow to outer space and worlds beyond. Stirs Up the Dust is part of the exhibition Future Imaginaries: Indigenous Art, Fashion, Technology. Northern Warrior Andy Everson (Comox/Kwakwaka'wakw) 2014 ABS plastic, rubber trim, cast resin, turned maple (hat), clear smoky acrylic, paint Courtesy of the artist Andy Everson offers Northwest Coast-inspired versions of iconic characters from the Star Wars universe. In Northern Warrior, he combines the figure of a stormtrooper with Northwest Coast warriors who defend the land, covering the helmet in formline designs and the yellow, blue, white, and black colors of Chilkat weavings. Prometheus Diego Romero (Cochiti Pueblo) 2021 Commercial clay, commercial gold luster, and natural hand-gathered clay paint From the Collection of George and Martha Richards In futuristic, otherworldly narratives that unfold across their surfaces, Diego Romero channels his love of comic book superheroes and pop culture into ceramic vessels that elevate Pueblo life to Olympian stature. In Prometheus, he recasts the Greek hero who stole fire from the gods and delivered it to humanity in the form of technology and knowledge as Coyote, the trickster of Native legend. Gold Star Quilt Wally Dion (Saulteaux) 2024 Circuit boards, brass wire, copper pole Autry Museum; 2024.8.1 Sewn together from wire and recycled computer motherboards, Wally Dion's Gold Star Quilt merges the "star quilt"—a quilting pattern that emerged on the Northern Plains in the nineteenth century that features diamond-shaped pieces of material sewn into an eight-pointed star-with modern technologies and materials. Star quilts connote respect and honor, and contain symbolic representations of life, spirituality, and community for Plains peoples, who often give them as gifts to celebrate important milestones in life. By replacing the soft, comforting cloth with shiny, sharp computer hardware, Dion transforms the iconic pattern into a vivia sculptural work that upends audience expectations. According to the artist, "these quilts merge traditional symbols with contemporary materials, speaking to the opportunity—and potential menace—presented by technology."
December 31, 2025 at 1:10 AM
Reposted by Joshua Bowman
philplait.bsky.social
If asked i would say that the Rosetta images of the comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko are tied with those of Satrun by Cassini as the most dramatic and incredible of a solar system object ever returned via spacecraft. Just look at the mood here.
hourlycosmos.bsky.social Hourly Cosmos @hourlycosmos.bsky.social · 8d
67P Rosetta NavCam 4 November 2014 vc - From 2di7 & titanio44 - https://flic.kr/p/pG4UiC
Image: ESA/Rosetta/NAVCAM, CC BY-SA IGO 3.0 - Processing: 2di7 & titanio44, CC BY-SA IGO 3.0
December 31, 2025 at 3:49 AM
thalesdisciple.bsky.social
We never did “here comes the airplane” to our 2yo. She learned it from Bluey, and now she does it to me and to her stuffed animals.
internethippo.bsky.social Better Things Are Possible @internethippo.bsky.social · 8d
I would never do the "Here comes the airplane" bit to feed my child. Embarrassing for us both. I would calmly explain the importance of adequate nutrition and they will yield to unimpeachable logic
December 31, 2025 at 1:29 AM
thalesdisciple.bsky.social
First visit to the Autry Museum today. The current Future Imaginaries exhibit is mind-blowing. theautry.org/exhibitions/...
Stirs Up the Dust from the series Thunder Up Above 2011 Feathers, beads, synthetic fabric Wendy Red Star Apsáalooke (Crow), born 1981 Gift of Loren G. Lipson, M.D. Autry Museum; 2018.15.1 Wendy Red Star is known for photographing herself within elaborately constructed scenes, engaging the viewer directly and foregrounding her presence within narratives of her own design. In Stirs Up the Dust, from a series of celestial couture garments titled Thunder Up Above, Red Star reimagines the regalia associated with powwow—a circular dance celebration found throughout Indigenous Plains cultures, including Red Star's Crow Nation-in futuristic terms. A powerful form of self-expression, powwow regalia has morphed over time from buckskin, beadwork, and feathers to embrace satin, lamé, and sequins. In Stirs Up the Dust, Red Star brings a feminist lens (women have only been allowed to dance in powwow circles since 1953) to this iconic look, using candy-colored streamers, an elaborate bustle, and a conceptual headpiece reminiscent of the outlandish headgear seen on high-fashion runways. Performed within a Martian landscape, Red Star's regalia projects the wearer into the future, bringing her high-style, cosmic powwow to outer space and worlds beyond. Stirs Up the Dust is part of the exhibition Future Imaginaries: Indigenous Art, Fashion, Technology. Northern Warrior Andy Everson (Comox/Kwakwaka'wakw) 2014 ABS plastic, rubber trim, cast resin, turned maple (hat), clear smoky acrylic, paint Courtesy of the artist Andy Everson offers Northwest Coast-inspired versions of iconic characters from the Star Wars universe. In Northern Warrior, he combines the figure of a stormtrooper with Northwest Coast warriors who defend the land, covering the helmet in formline designs and the yellow, blue, white, and black colors of Chilkat weavings. Prometheus Diego Romero (Cochiti Pueblo) 2021 Commercial clay, commercial gold luster, and natural hand-gathered clay paint From the Collection of George and Martha Richards In futuristic, otherworldly narratives that unfold across their surfaces, Diego Romero channels his love of comic book superheroes and pop culture into ceramic vessels that elevate Pueblo life to Olympian stature. In Prometheus, he recasts the Greek hero who stole fire from the gods and delivered it to humanity in the form of technology and knowledge as Coyote, the trickster of Native legend. Gold Star Quilt Wally Dion (Saulteaux) 2024 Circuit boards, brass wire, copper pole Autry Museum; 2024.8.1 Sewn together from wire and recycled computer motherboards, Wally Dion's Gold Star Quilt merges the "star quilt"—a quilting pattern that emerged on the Northern Plains in the nineteenth century that features diamond-shaped pieces of material sewn into an eight-pointed star-with modern technologies and materials. Star quilts connote respect and honor, and contain symbolic representations of life, spirituality, and community for Plains peoples, who often give them as gifts to celebrate important milestones in life. By replacing the soft, comforting cloth with shiny, sharp computer hardware, Dion transforms the iconic pattern into a vivia sculptural work that upends audience expectations. According to the artist, "these quilts merge traditional symbols with contemporary materials, speaking to the opportunity—and potential menace—presented by technology."
December 31, 2025 at 1:10 AM
thalesdisciple.bsky.social
FIVE GO-OLD RINGS
December 29, 2025 at 10:13 PM
thalesdisciple.bsky.social
Time for a 20th anniversary viewing of The Christmas Invasion.
December 26, 2025 at 4:37 AM
Reposted by Joshua Bowman
hannahnpbowman.com
The whole pastry:
Big decorative stuffed pie from the top
December 26, 2025 at 4:11 AM
Reposted by Joshua Bowman
hannahnpbowman.com
Made salmon coulibiac for Christmas dinner! (Merry Christmas!)
A slice of a layered pastry full of salmon and eggs An advent wreath of candles from above
December 26, 2025 at 4:08 AM
thalesdisciple.bsky.social
Gravlax as part of Christmas dinner.
A plate of sliced gravlax
December 26, 2025 at 4:32 AM
thalesdisciple.bsky.social
Happy first day of Christmas! Eleven more days to go, and THEN you can sing “We Three Kings”.
December 26, 2025 at 1:16 AM
thalesdisciple.bsky.social
Shout-out to @desmos.com: I’ve been working for several days on approximating a complicated integral, and the main reason I’ve made any progress is through insights gained from experimenting with graphs. Desmos is handling improper integrals and finicky derivatives with remarkable precision.
December 22, 2025 at 6:11 PM
Reposted by Joshua Bowman
vangogh.bsky.social
Van Gogh’s lines swirl, twist, and double back—movement made visible, as if time itself refused to stand still.
December 22, 2025 at 4:44 AM
Reposted by Joshua Bowman
wiswell.bsky.social
Both my physical and mental health are rough right now. Most days, the pain is overwhelming.

If you'd like to do something for me? I have a request.

Do something kind for someone else. Invite an extra person to holiday dinner. Donate to mutual aid. Help your sister pack. Anything for anybody.
December 21, 2025 at 10:53 PM
Reposted by Joshua Bowman
solidangles.bsky.social
Most underrated video game villain.
A blue tornado with wide white eyes named Mr. Glitch, who was the villain of the Mathman segment from the children's educational show Square One TV.
December 22, 2025 at 12:15 AM
Reposted by Joshua Bowman
hannahnpbowman.com
(Yes, I live in Los Angeles where it has been sunny and 80 for weeks and I’m STILL feeling this)
December 22, 2025 at 12:20 AM
Reposted by Joshua Bowman
hannahnpbowman.com
I am attributing our existential exhaustion today to the solstice. Tomorrow the light starts coming back.
December 22, 2025 at 12:19 AM
thalesdisciple.bsky.social
This is the most Sunday afternoon of Sunday afternoons I have experienced in a while.
December 22, 2025 at 12:25 AM
Reposted by Joshua Bowman
terriblemapshq.bsky.social
A minimalist world map
December 17, 2025 at 9:24 PM
Reposted by Joshua Bowman
phdhurtbrain.bsky.social
Life isn’t simple like math where every problem has an answer; it’s more like math, where problems have many answers or no possible answer at all!
December 21, 2025 at 4:35 PM