Alix Hui
@alixhui.bsky.social
Historian of science, environment, sound, and silence. Raising small kids through covid. Pie hobbyist. The Johnny Appleseed of googly-eyes.
Couldn’t vote today but did just receive 100s of these promotional stickers @emilypawley.bsky.social and I had made for our forthcoming supernova of a collaborative book. If you’re at HSS in a couple weeks, I’ll give you one! Or stick it on you when you’re not looking! #histsci #envhum #envhist
November 4, 2025 at 8:47 PM
Couldn’t vote today but did just receive 100s of these promotional stickers @emilypawley.bsky.social and I had made for our forthcoming supernova of a collaborative book. If you’re at HSS in a couple weeks, I’ll give you one! Or stick it on you when you’re not looking! #histsci #envhum #envhist
Woooo, out doing recon for tomorrow’s community art workshop on… panoptic mapmaking?
October 17, 2025 at 7:28 PM
Woooo, out doing recon for tomorrow’s community art workshop on… panoptic mapmaking?
Attended the opening reception for the "IQ: Hva forteller testene?" exhibit at the Univ. of Oslo Historical Museum this evening. Lots of good material on the history of intelligence testing, my favorite being the cheerful diagnostic toys. The opening quotes were a bit of an emotional rollercoaster.
August 28, 2025 at 8:23 PM
Attended the opening reception for the "IQ: Hva forteller testene?" exhibit at the Univ. of Oslo Historical Museum this evening. Lots of good material on the history of intelligence testing, my favorite being the cheerful diagnostic toys. The opening quotes were a bit of an emotional rollercoaster.
An imprecise ranking of the top five things that happened to me today:
1. Waking up in a charmingly restored 1803 Jakstuga on the edge of the forest outside of Stockholm.
1. Waking up in a charmingly restored 1803 Jakstuga on the edge of the forest outside of Stockholm.
August 25, 2025 at 12:07 PM
An imprecise ranking of the top five things that happened to me today:
1. Waking up in a charmingly restored 1803 Jakstuga on the edge of the forest outside of Stockholm.
1. Waking up in a charmingly restored 1803 Jakstuga on the edge of the forest outside of Stockholm.
The best part of Uppsala so far (besides seeing old friends) is discovering that the very serious Güntherska bakery pulled a 300 year old stone out of their facade at street level to install this tiny mouse bakery diorama. I love it so much. #eseh2025
August 20, 2025 at 9:00 PM
The best part of Uppsala so far (besides seeing old friends) is discovering that the very serious Güntherska bakery pulled a 300 year old stone out of their facade at street level to install this tiny mouse bakery diorama. I love it so much. #eseh2025
I'm going to start calling it my privacy meadow.
(the goldenrod hasn't even arrived and its already taller than me!)
(the goldenrod hasn't even arrived and its already taller than me!)
July 25, 2025 at 2:20 PM
I'm going to start calling it my privacy meadow.
(the goldenrod hasn't even arrived and its already taller than me!)
(the goldenrod hasn't even arrived and its already taller than me!)
What if I quit my job and moved to this tiny island off the coast of Queensland and just listened to the wind at dusk?
July 13, 2025 at 10:46 AM
What if I quit my job and moved to this tiny island off the coast of Queensland and just listened to the wind at dusk?
Have seen little blue penguins, takahē, black swans, tui, Eurasian magpies, harriers, & various perching birds. I shout “Shell Duck!” with the wobbly voice of Psyduck right before he explodes in the Detective Pikachu movie every time we see them and only the 10-yr old laughs.
July 7, 2025 at 11:09 PM
Have seen little blue penguins, takahē, black swans, tui, Eurasian magpies, harriers, & various perching birds. I shout “Shell Duck!” with the wobbly voice of Psyduck right before he explodes in the Detective Pikachu movie every time we see them and only the 10-yr old laughs.
FINALLY. After days and days of drizzle and low clouds and conference-room carpeting and tiny, gluten-free muffins, some:
July 7, 2025 at 8:44 PM
FINALLY. After days and days of drizzle and low clouds and conference-room carpeting and tiny, gluten-free muffins, some:
The Berlin Biennale was quietly full of rage. My two favorite pieces at the KW location were "Comedy Club" and the "Walking the Cabbage" pieces, photos below.
June 26, 2025 at 9:03 PM
The Berlin Biennale was quietly full of rage. My two favorite pieces at the KW location were "Comedy Club" and the "Walking the Cabbage" pieces, photos below.
Holy moly. Look at what I just discovered in the corner of my droll little hotel room! I didn't bring any mix tapes on this trip!
June 24, 2025 at 2:59 PM
Holy moly. Look at what I just discovered in the corner of my droll little hotel room! I didn't bring any mix tapes on this trip!
I’ve been in Berlin for over 24 hours and only have this foreboding photo of the telecom tower and an ENORMOUS bag of cherries riding the S-Bahn to show for it.
June 23, 2025 at 3:58 PM
I’ve been in Berlin for over 24 hours and only have this foreboding photo of the telecom tower and an ENORMOUS bag of cherries riding the S-Bahn to show for it.
Today I listened to the plink, plink, plink of the stalactite organ of Luray Caverns.
June 17, 2025 at 2:00 AM
Today I listened to the plink, plink, plink of the stalactite organ of Luray Caverns.
Who’s building a new bridge? WE’RE building a new bridge!
(Feeling fidgety and need to do something with my hands)
(WE’RE = husband, his civil engineer friend, and neighbor Dwayne who has a backhoe and won’t stop giving us homemade pickles)
(Feeling fidgety and need to do something with my hands)
(WE’RE = husband, his civil engineer friend, and neighbor Dwayne who has a backhoe and won’t stop giving us homemade pickles)
June 13, 2025 at 11:40 PM
Who’s building a new bridge? WE’RE building a new bridge!
(Feeling fidgety and need to do something with my hands)
(WE’RE = husband, his civil engineer friend, and neighbor Dwayne who has a backhoe and won’t stop giving us homemade pickles)
(Feeling fidgety and need to do something with my hands)
(WE’RE = husband, his civil engineer friend, and neighbor Dwayne who has a backhoe and won’t stop giving us homemade pickles)
Spent several days way more off-grid than planned at Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It was a slow burn of rambling creeks, endless lush old forests, mosses and ferns and wildlife. The kids collected handfuls of cicadas. We saw 4 bears in 2 hours. The National Parks remain America's best idea.
May 30, 2025 at 11:31 AM
Spent several days way more off-grid than planned at Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It was a slow burn of rambling creeks, endless lush old forests, mosses and ferns and wildlife. The kids collected handfuls of cicadas. We saw 4 bears in 2 hours. The National Parks remain America's best idea.
This is the confluence of two of my greatest loves: Trondheimsfjord and stuck container ships
May 24, 2025 at 11:24 PM
This is the confluence of two of my greatest loves: Trondheimsfjord and stuck container ships
Historians of science and technology: Any of you attending ICHST *in person* and desiring to chair my panel on bird sounds, recording technology, mimicry, toots and booms? I'm happy to chair your panel in return!
#histSTM #HPS #STS #histsci #histtech #philsci
(duck-calling diagram for attention)
#histSTM #HPS #STS #histsci #histtech #philsci
(duck-calling diagram for attention)
May 20, 2025 at 1:39 PM
Oh! I found some discussion of the NAC's interruption of Slobodkin's talk at the TeachOUT. Maybe not such a big archival discovery. This would have been during the Occupation of Alcatraz, so interesting connections. Anyway, here's a nice photo.
May 13, 2025 at 8:30 PM
Oh! I found some discussion of the NAC's interruption of Slobodkin's talk at the TeachOUT. Maybe not such a big archival discovery. This would have been during the Occupation of Alcatraz, so interesting connections. Anyway, here's a nice photo.
Evening walk to check on my sprouts (second sister is coming up!) and discovered this fellow. He's too small and 2 months too early for our usual annual cicadas. Perhaps a VERY LATE member of the 2024 Brood XIX? Sorry buddy, you're the only one here. It's going to be all screaming, no sexing.
May 9, 2025 at 11:15 PM
Evening walk to check on my sprouts (second sister is coming up!) and discovered this fellow. He's too small and 2 months too early for our usual annual cicadas. Perhaps a VERY LATE member of the 2024 Brood XIX? Sorry buddy, you're the only one here. It's going to be all screaming, no sexing.
You know why I'm not worried about tariffs? Because I accidentally let my mustard plants bolt and then go to seed. I've now gathered them and strung them up to dry and will attempt to make my own mustard. We will live off the land. We will condiment off the land.
p.s. Mustarding tips welcome!
p.s. Mustarding tips welcome!
May 7, 2025 at 7:33 PM
You know why I'm not worried about tariffs? Because I accidentally let my mustard plants bolt and then go to seed. I've now gathered them and strung them up to dry and will attempt to make my own mustard. We will live off the land. We will condiment off the land.
p.s. Mustarding tips welcome!
p.s. Mustarding tips welcome!
Sign of supportive co-parent: Allows you to use an image of the Magdeburg Unicorn on the toddler's "Unicorns and Sprinklers!" birthday party invitation.
May 1, 2025 at 6:39 PM
Sign of supportive co-parent: Allows you to use an image of the Magdeburg Unicorn on the toddler's "Unicorns and Sprinklers!" birthday party invitation.
Woke up to this adorably derpy cake waiting for me. May that evil eye protect me for another 45 years, I guess.
April 16, 2025 at 10:21 PM
Woke up to this adorably derpy cake waiting for me. May that evil eye protect me for another 45 years, I guess.
I'm sure y'all remember my haunted watermelon patch I was so proud of (we were still harvesting watermelon in December!). Well it's only mid-April and whatever seeds were distributed by the September Deer Raids are already popping out!
April 14, 2025 at 2:52 AM
I'm sure y'all remember my haunted watermelon patch I was so proud of (we were still harvesting watermelon in December!). Well it's only mid-April and whatever seeds were distributed by the September Deer Raids are already popping out!
I teach in a building where everything feels forgotten. There’s an overhead projector graveyard in one corner of my classroom. It’s a windowless space of sadness & orange carpeting. So I’m just so charmed that my students have offered to detach this pencil sharpener I’ve been admiring from the wall.
March 24, 2025 at 7:32 PM
I teach in a building where everything feels forgotten. There’s an overhead projector graveyard in one corner of my classroom. It’s a windowless space of sadness & orange carpeting. So I’m just so charmed that my students have offered to detach this pencil sharpener I’ve been admiring from the wall.