Ben Spigel
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benspigel.bsky.social
Ben Spigel
@benspigel.bsky.social
610 followers 360 following 390 posts
He/him. Associate Professor of Entrepreneurship at Babson College. I study entrepreneurial ecosystems, how firms grow, and why kittens are the best form of cat.
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Reposted by Ben Spigel
pamherd.bsky.social
The edge we had relative to China on research was free and open inquiry—fewer resources and a surveillance state will be toxic for US science.
brookenewman.bsky.social Brooke Newman @brookenewman.bsky.social · 3h
Message to all faculty: your expertise is no longer trusted or valued at this so-called “university.”
A thread by an A&M professor describing how the new rules will impact faculty. Syllabi must be fed into AI to be checked for content not aligned with approved syllabi; students will be encouraged to report faculty for inaccurate content; and young people are now being told they get to decide what a professor should teach.
November 14, 2025 at 1:39 PM
benspigel.bsky.social
Christaller's Central Place Theory finally getting its due! I mean, sure it was used to plan Generalplan Ost, but who keeps track of those things. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central...
November 13, 2025 at 6:05 PM
Reposted by Ben Spigel
donaeldtheunready.bsky.social
Joyce Carol Oates sitting across a desk from Kendrick Lamar:

"So I'm putting a team together..."

Isaac Chotiner knocks on the open door.
moryan.bsky.social Mo Ryan @moryan.bsky.social · 2d
Personally, I will be trying to avoid the notice of Joyce Carol Oates and Kendrick Lamar for the rest of my natural life
mementomorty.bsky.social Memento (Aloof) Morty 🌙 @mementomorty.bsky.social · 3d
I need Joyce Carol Oates to be mean to me online so I can get my life together
November 11, 2025 at 7:24 PM
Reposted by Ben Spigel
lswisnom.bsky.social
Academics in Assyria in the 7th c BC complain that admin is preventing them from doing research and teaching
November 3, 2025 at 10:04 AM
Reposted by Ben Spigel
thorgisarcade.bsky.social
November 1, 2025 at 10:05 AM
Reposted by Ben Spigel
museum.of.emilyk.art
"Tzefardea Tzedek" (Frog of Righteousness)

As soon as the Portland Frog became a meme, Jewish social media blew up with jokes about the 2nd Passover plague - tzefarde'a (frogs) - and the Rabbinical commentary around it. I knew I had to make a calligraphy piece encompassing all of it. (more in alt.)
Hebrew calligraphy in dark green stretches in lines across the image. Negative space makes room for a simple representation of an inflatable frog costume with a blue bandana. That shape consists of the English translation of the Hebrew, in a lighter green, and in much smaller text. -- Famously, the Egyptian tyrant causes Egypt to be overrun with frogs because he refuses to free the Hebrew people, but there are additional details that make this a fun one to ponder. For one, the Hebrew says "the frog came up" - ONE frog - even though the rest of the time it says "frogs." So there are a few explanations rabbis have come up with to explain this. One is that a single frog multiplied to create swarms. A more creative explanation is that there was a singular giant frog who traveled and brought destruction. Jewish social media was sharing videos of the Portland Frog protester with the caption, "One Big Frog! One Big Frog!" Of course the frog protesters did multiply, and many were seen in crowds all over the world on "No Kings" Day. This calligraphic work takes the verses addressing the frog plague and combines them to form a simple rendering of the Portland Frog protester. The frog figure itself is made up of the English translations of the Hebrew around it. At the bottom left my signature is in the shape of a lily pad.
October 25, 2025 at 11:29 PM
benspigel.bsky.social
One of the things I love about babson is that, frankly, the amenities aren’t amazing. That means the students are coming here for what they can learn. Not our lazy rivers to cheerleaders ratio or whatever
robertkelchen.com Robert Kelchen @robertkelchen.com · 24d
I'm quoted in this Wall Street Journal piece on High Point University, which has gone all-in on amenities (a $40,000-per year housing and dining plan!) to attract modest-achieving, high-income students.
How a Small North Carolina College Became a Magnet for Wealthy Students
As Trump slashes funding, schools are trying to attract the limited pool of higher-end families. High Point University is a blueprint.
www.wsj.com
October 21, 2025 at 12:05 PM
benspigel.bsky.social
They have Trainspotting walking tours.
October 20, 2025 at 6:06 PM
Reposted by Ben Spigel
jamiepeck.bsky.social
Pls share: Applications open for Summer Institute in Economic Geography, Toronto, 5-10 July 2026

Featuring: Lars Coenen, Karen Lai, Devika Narayan and Stefan Ouma

Early career economic geographers (broadly defined) are welcome to apply. Stipends available. www.econgeog.net/Toronto2026
Toronto 2026 | Summer Institute in Economic Geography
www.econgeog.net
October 16, 2025 at 3:47 PM
Reposted by Ben Spigel
adrianhon.bsky.social
All networking events need at least one designated host who goes around looking for people on their own and introduces them to others with similar interests.

This takes maybe a couple of minutes per person and is pretty fun and easy if you know what you’re doing!
October 16, 2025 at 12:11 PM
benspigel.bsky.social
Entrepreneurs: please remember that you are allowed to fire customers.
edzitron.com Ed Zitron @edzitron.com · Oct 14
There's one person who pays them $250 a month who cost Augment $15,000. Amazing stuff. Can only imagine how bad things are for Cursor or Replit
www.augmentcode.com/blog/augment...
The user message model also isn’t sustainable for Augment Code as a business. For example, over the last 30 days, a user on our $250 Max plan has issued 335 requests per hour, every hour, for 30 days, and is approaching $15,000 per month in cost to Augment Code. This sort of use isn’t inherently bad, but as a business, we have to price our service in accordance with our costs.
October 15, 2025 at 12:01 AM
Reposted by Ben Spigel
cibo.bsky.social
Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, you need to chill
Chart from the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas charting GDP per capita with AI scenarios. It includes a benign Technological Singularity scenario and one where it leads to extinction. Both happen in the mid-2020s
October 14, 2025 at 1:58 PM
benspigel.bsky.social
This would be a great time to revist Arjun Appadurai's Modernity at Large. He writes about how people feel nostolgic for things they did not experience (I believe he was looking at Elvis impersonators in Indonesia). Still very relevent.

www.upress.umn.edu/978081662793...
September 29, 2025 at 7:08 PM
Reposted by Ben Spigel
edzitron.com
This is genuinely so, so bad lol
www.theinformation.com/articles/ai-...
Some startups continue to use ever-more-creative definitions of ARR. One venture capitalist told us some startups are calculating ARR by guessing what their product usage will be if a customer starts having all of its employees use a product. Yikes.
September 25, 2025 at 8:46 PM
Reposted by Ben Spigel
griglars.bsky.social
September 11, 2025 at 5:05 PM
benspigel.bsky.social
Gutted that I wasn't the first person to publish on furries in a respected business and innovation journal. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
September 10, 2025 at 1:49 PM
Reposted by Ben Spigel
404media.co
"The real kick in the teeth is no matter how much manufacturing is brought back to the US these items will never be made in the USA. There is no upside."

As we predicted, the end of de minimis has made every hobby that requires the purchase of items more expensive.
🔗 www.404media.co/its-just-a-m...
‘It's Just a Mess:' 23 People Explain How Tariffs Have Suddenly Ruined Their Hobby
"The real kick in the teeth is no matter how much manufacturing is brought back to the US these items will never be made in the USA. There is no upside."
www.404media.co
September 9, 2025 at 2:17 PM
Reposted by Ben Spigel
geographers.bsky.social
Thanks to sponsorship from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, AAG is pleased to offer two annual awards (for a student & practitioner/faculty) for research in #geography and #entrepreneurship. Awardees receive a $1,000 prize and registration to #AAG2026 to present their research. buff.ly/K6dI06T
Graphic promoting the AAG Best Paper, Student Paper Awards in Geography & Entrepreneurship.
September 9, 2025 at 4:04 PM
Reposted by Ben Spigel
clivethompson.bsky.social
This is really fascinating

Wikipedia's list of linguistic and stylist "tells" of AI writing, the better to help editors recognize it

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikiped...
A Wikipedia-style guideline page on avoiding exaggerated wording by LLMs, with two sections titled Undue emphasis on symbolism and importance and Promotional language. Each section lists “words to watch” in a beige box, such as "stands as a testament", "plays a vital role", "rich cultural heritage", "breathtaking", and "must-see". Below, example sentences are shown with problematic phrases highlighted in yellow, including "enhancing its significance", "captivates both residents and visitors alike", "stands as a symbol", "reflects the evolving identity", "vibrant town with a rich cultural heritage", "fascinating glimpse into the diverse tapestry", and "value-driven experiences".
August 20, 2025 at 4:26 PM
Reposted by Ben Spigel
authorsguild.org
A federal court ruled that ANTHROPIC illegally copied MILLIONS of books to train its AI.

All authors and publishers whose books were downloaded by Anthropic from pirate websites are subject to receiving compensation. This could involve your work.

For more info: authorsguild.org/news/anthrop...
"Graphic with 'Anthropic' logo on left, circuit-like design. Right text reads: 'Authors: You May Be Part of This Class Action Lawsuit. Anthropic AI Lawsuit Explained.' Modern, tech-themed design."
August 19, 2025 at 9:58 PM
Reposted by Ben Spigel
rmartincole.bsky.social
Book cover titled "The Story of Cement: The Magic Powder" by Earl J. Hadley. The illustration shows a large, stylized figure bending over and pouring white powder from their hands, which streams down into a cityscape with tall buildings and a bridge.
August 19, 2025 at 5:39 PM