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drpen.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy
Dr Pen
@drpen.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy
45 followers 13 following 750 posts
Tech society posts and shares from Dr Pen, Digital Media & Humanities academic based in Malta, from London. Late bloomer, a bit pithy.

#UserExperience #UGC […]

🌉 bridged from ⁂ https://mastodon.social/@DrPen, follow @ap.brid.gy to interact
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drpen.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy
LinkedIn shitty emails achieve new low with "puzzle games". I never use Linkedin. I have unsubscribed from every email list. I never engage with the platform, unless a colleague sends me some post they shared. I then use cookie blockers. But now they think my […]

[Original post on mastodon.social]
a screenshot of an email from linkedin showing two low brow "puzzle games", sent to a phd academic.
December 16, 2025 at 6:58 AM
drpen.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy
Ive been digging around for text analysis OS apps and found AntConc via a Reddit thread. This app is very good from what I can see in early quick testing. Im looking at term frequency across relevant papers, and some 'concordance' context but AntConc will do […]

[Original post on mastodon.social]
A wordcloud output from AntConc text analysis software showing the frequency of words for a group of PDFs about big tech and edtech governance. Governance, edtech, design, system, time, media and language are large words in the cloud.
December 15, 2025 at 7:33 AM
drpen.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy
Good morning the great wonderful Mastodon and wider fediverse. Its good to be here, amongst the sane and lovely people of the world.

Have a super academic and otherwise day

Image is my view this morning around 6.45am CET, Malta sunrise.

#morning #europe […]

[Original post on mastodon.social]
Sunrise with low glowing cloud and silhouetted buildings, Malta.
December 10, 2025 at 7:03 AM
drpen.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy
Always remember, as you attend or give presentations on the use of GenAI in T&L, many people in each session will be sceptical, critical and not agree with the widespread adoption of text or image generators in their practice. But they wont speak out openly […]

[Original post on mastodon.social]
Screenshot of post in the Artists Against Gen AI group on Facebook. It reads: "We had a training at my school today about using AI in the classroom. The presenter was using it for everything from generating warm up questions to grading and giving feedback to students. I don’t know what’s even the point of people anymore. Well, after his spiel, I raised my concerns about its use. I pointed out that AI LLMs don’t produce actual content, but approximations of what you want, resulting in made up citations and factual errors. I pointed out that the creators of the content used to train the models were not compensated or even asked if their works could be used, so it’s built on theft. I pointed out that studies have shown that repeated use of AI is shown to reduce critical thinking skills and empathy. And I pointed out that AI is incredibly bad for the environment, and data centers are causing water supplies to dry up in this country. I concluded by saying that I felt disheartened that our district and admin were pushing for its use. I felt really nervous speaking my mind about it, but people clapped at what I said. I had numerous teachers find me today and tell me they appreciated what I said. It’s always good to know that those of us against AI aren’t alone, even if it feels that way sometimes. I know this group has given me a lot of strength and hope. Keep fighting the good fight!"
December 4, 2025 at 12:22 PM
drpen.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy
An interesting online advent calendar from the Ashmolean. Here are Dec 1 and Dec 2...

#christmas #advent #calendar #adventcalendar #museums #ashmolean #academia #academicchatter

https://www.ashmolean.org/advent
View of snow on Benten Hill at Kinryūzan Temple in Asakusa by Utagawa Kuniyoshi Kuniyoshi was one of the last great masters of the Japanese ukiyo-e style of woodblock printing. He is probably best known for his prints of warriors and battles of legendary heroes, but also created designs of ghosts, cats, beautiful women, actor prints and landscapes. This print shows snow at the Kinryūzan Temple in Asakusa, Tokyo and is from Kuniyoshi's series of Famous Places in Edo (modern Tokyo). The temple sits across a lake with snow-laden trees on the right. Small figures in front of the temple hold umbrellas against the snow. Bronze brooch, 100–200 CE, from Amiens, northern France This Roman bronze brooch in the shape of a stag, once decorated with bright multi-coloured enamel, would have been used to fasten a shawl or cloak. The stag is looking backwards and in the centre of the body are aged pieces of coloured enamel. Enamelled jewellery was very popular in Britain and France during the Roman period. The vast Roman empire encouraged the movement of people, ideas and fashions. Certain Roman styles of dress and jewellery became widespread with some personal items travelling long distances with their owners, though some distinctive local fashions did continue to thrive.
December 2, 2025 at 6:04 AM
drpen.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy
See my earlier post today about the journal mill grifters all coming to the AI yard.

#academicpublishing #ai #journalmills
Screen capture of a Ben Williamson tweet referring to the huge amount of research papers all about AI.
November 27, 2025 at 8:58 PM
drpen.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy
Submitted another paper. Its interesting, but may be unsuited to the journal. Journal specs are narrow, my papers cross discipline boundaries. In the words of the great and very interesting Peter Morville, I'm a boundary object. Here's one of his books on IA […]

[Original post on mastodon.social]
A screenshot of Intertwingled by Peter Morville, on the Internet Archive.
November 27, 2025 at 8:00 PM
drpen.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy
Ive been tussling with this all day, its from a high prof new paper. I find it a very misleading description of 'GenAI'. 1. #genai isnt only text (!). 2. It is not human chatter, its billions of pieces of written output - books, reports, academic work […]

[Original post on mastodon.social]
screenshot of a section of text from an academic paper. GenAI is different. It is not merely an application of the logic of print literacy. It emergedfrom the internet era, relying upon massive datasets generated through the continuous,collective ‘chatter’ of online human communication. Unlike its predecessors, generative AIdoes not operate strictly through predefined rules. Instead, it learns patterns from vast un-structured data, offering context-sensitive, open-ended responses. From an epistemologicalperspective, this brings new challenges. (PDF) A dialogic theoretical foundation for integrating generative AI into pedagogical design. Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/397662591_A_dialogic_theoretical_foundation_for_integrating_generative_AI_into_pedagogical_design [accessed Nov 21 2025].
November 21, 2025 at 6:47 AM
drpen.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy
Democracy in society resource alert.

This is a fantastic resource on the quality of and threats to information systems in our digital world. Also, free book - a comprehensive and very relevant report.

There is also a visualisation tool to see all issues […]

[Original post on mastodon.social]
screenshot. Information ecosystem and troubled democracy – Interactive Map Developed in partnership with CNRS Institute for Complex Systems. This map represents a statistical summary of the thematic content of the report. The network graph represents relations between the words in the report, placing them closer to each other the more they are related. The bigger the node, the more present the word is, signalling its role in defining what the report or chapter is about. The colors represent words that are closely related to each other and can be interpreted as a topic. The map was generated by Giovanni Maggi using the GarganText tool – developed by the CNRS Institute of Complex Systems – on the basis of the report’s text. A Global Synthesis of the State of Knowledge on News Media, AI and Data Governance This inaugural meta-analysis provides a critical assessment of the role of information ecosystems in the Global North and Global Majority World, focusing on their relationship with information integrity (the quality of public discourse), the fairness of political processes, the protection of media freedoms, and the resilience of public institutions. The report addresses three thematic areas with a cross-cutting theme of mis- and disinformation: Media, Politics and Trust; Artificial Intelligence, Information Ecosystems and Democracy; and Data Governance and Democracy. The analysis is based mainly on academic publications supplemented by reports and other materials from different disciplines and regions (1,664 citations selected among a total corpus of over +2700 resources aggregated). The report showcases what we can learn from landmark research on often intractable challenges posed by rapid changes in information and communication spaces.
November 18, 2025 at 8:29 AM
drpen.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy
Im cleaning out boxes and going through old computer kit. Ive got 2 old Acer Revos, (win 7 net tops), 2010 and 2012. Is there any market for this stuff? Resale on eBay isnt great but maybe computer museums might want them. They're in fantastic condition (with […]

[Original post on mastodon.social]
A box for the Acer Revo 2012 A box for the Acer Revo 2010.
November 6, 2025 at 3:11 PM
drpen.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy
I love it when recommender systems are so chronically off that it just confirms the coming automated dystopian future we have built will be 90% Brazil and 10% LOTF.

#recommendersystems #researchgate #academia #academicchatter
A screenshot of an email from ResearchGate that says, We found a free webinar that matches your interests. The body of the message says, A reliable CNS safety assessment method. CNS safety risks often go undetected in the GLP talk studies because animal models fail to predict human neurological effects. CNS-3D brain organoids are 7.4 times more accurate than animal models offering a more reliable CNS safety assessment. It has to be said that I am not a neurological or biological scientist. I am in fact a technology in society, in urban and learning contexts academic. So in fact have absolutely nothing to do with this field of study.
October 30, 2025 at 9:09 AM
drpen.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy
Good morning from Elsevier. When I open my inbox to be greeted by this, I know the time has come to leave academia. It is rotten to the core, and totally lost sight of its *telos*. Read the article if you like. It is a lost delusion. States "AI is a tool" […]

[Original post on mastodon.social]
Screenshot of email from Elsevier p[publishing: What role should AI play in peer review? "As artificial intelligence continues to reshape research workflows, Elsevier’s latest article explores how AI can support—but never replace—the expert judgment of reviewers and editors. Hear from Elsevier’s Director of Generative AI, Peer Review Innovation Lead, and Editors-in-Chief as they share perspectives on transparency, ethical safeguards, and the essential role of human oversight in peer review."
October 28, 2025 at 6:44 AM
drpen.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy
IMPORTANT MESSAGE

Please donate to Wikipedia. As we all know, it is under threat (AI overviews, Musk attacks). In my opinion it's one of the greatest achievements of the democratic Internet and global human collaboration.

I donate a small amount every year […]

[Original post on mastodon.social]
A thank you message from Wikipedia for a donation paid
October 25, 2025 at 4:18 AM
drpen.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy
Academic Developer wanted.

No, f*k it, no point.

#aibrokestudying #academia #academicchatter
A screenshot of another post, talking about study materials and apps recommended by Lifehacker, which ends in a oh fuck it, just chuck it in the chatGPT.
October 24, 2025 at 1:42 PM
drpen.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy
In the world of tit-for-tat media nu-literacy. You want a ballroom? We'll give you a ballroom.

via @trataal.bsky.social: Like this?

#epsteinballroom #whitehouse #eastwing #uspol
an AI generated version of the Epstein Ballroom.
October 23, 2025 at 6:11 AM
drpen.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy
Really, really sad. Very representative of where the world is right now, that this vandalism is done by the actual POTUS with no legal process, and that the WH, for all the US faults, still is a flagship of the civilised world.

#WhiteHouseDown #whitehouse […]

[Original post on mastodon.social]
A photo of a lego model of the white house, laid out on a patterned table cloth. The east wing of the WH is destroyed and in ruins. @andrewkostrub.bsky.social - Updating my LEGO White House
October 23, 2025 at 6:03 AM
drpen.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy
A relaxing image of my Logitech kit after torturous day of not getting the MX keys to connect with the Logi Bolt USB. The mouse worked immediately. Then also lost BT connection on the MX. Literally hours trying to get it to pair (with either) incl sh*t […]

[Original post on mastodon.social]
An arty photograph of a Logitech MX keys mini keyboard and a Pop Logitech mouse.
October 21, 2025 at 7:10 PM
drpen.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy
News in Instagram robo-hacking: I just got this. I deactivated my IG about 5 yrs ago. I used to love IG when it wasnt owned by FB but now its just a dump for marketing and grifting, just what we all feared after FB bought it. I haven't attempted to log in for […]

[Original post on mastodon.social]
screenshot of email from Instagram asking if I want to log in
October 4, 2025 at 5:50 AM
drpen.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy
CLOUD EMPIRES>
This is the perilous situation that the globe has got itself into and why we need digital and functional sovereignty.

Image: Cloud Regions by Firm / Country

Kollar & Stokols, 2025. 'Geopolitical Ecologies of Cloud Capitalism: Territorial […]

[Original post on mastodon.social]
A map showing cloud computing server locations and infrastructure. U.S. Firms include Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Oracle, and IBM; Chinese Firms include Alibaba, Huawei, and Tencent Data sources: Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Oracle, IBM, Alibaba, Huawei, Tencent, International Telecommunications Union
October 3, 2025 at 8:56 AM
drpen.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy
Londoners! Are you attending Breaking the (G)loom? If not why not? Its tomorrow, its free.

#luddites #ai #bigtech #london #academia #academicchatter

https://breakingthegloom.com/

https://london.architecturediary.org/venue/set-social-peckham/
Date: 27th September Time: 2pm to 5pm Location: SET Social, Red Bar This event is free, but ticketed! Please register at: lu.ma/9ddl2shi Sick of living in the dreams of prepper CEOs? Feeling doomy about spending the next AI winter in a chatbot cult? Suspicious that the healthcare implications of AlphaFold might be overshadowed by the broader corrosion of liberal democracy? Actually pretty optimistic, but would like a break from the hype?
September 26, 2025 at 7:38 AM
drpen.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy
@mayintoronto @winterjodi The UK can opt out
Heres the link LinkedIn Data Processing Objection Form https://www.linkedin.com/help/linkedin/ask/TS-DPRO
September 18, 2025 at 12:50 PM
drpen.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy
Reposting an older post about universities that use open source, self-hosted solutions for their institution infrasctructure. Im planning a paper on this topic so any more uni's to add to the list will be great. I wont mention individual names.

#academia […]

[Original post on mastodon.social]
screenshot of older post by me, saying: "Has your university ever considered ownin​g their own data? Radical, I know. Nextcloud, Mattermost or Cryptpad are all highly professional open source self hosted data solutions. Why dont unis use them? Ask your IT department. Ask your Finance department. Ask your senior management for full disclosure on procur​ement policy and who makes those decisions. Your job is next in line for CR or automation. You owe it to yourself to ask. "
September 12, 2025 at 6:47 AM
drpen.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy
Govt by social media billionaires and their fawning political hangers-on. This is what big tech society look like, and is. Political society itself (actual party politics and voting) is unravelling rapidly, not only in the US, but the global version of the US […]

[Original post on mastodon.social]
a screenshot of an article from Time.com: Sep 11, 2025 8:15 AM CET, ‘This Is War’: Trump and Others on Right Call for Crackdown on Left After Charlie Kirk’s Murder. Highlighted is quote under a subheading 'The Party of Murder',: "“The Left is the party of murder,” Elon Musk, the billionaire tech mogul who has frequently espoused right-wing views, posted on his social media platform X. Musk shared his comment alongside a post by venture capitalist and political activist Shaun Maguire, who said: “The Left lectured us for the last decade about the dangers of violence from the Right … The danger was actually on the Left.”"
September 11, 2025 at 7:31 AM
drpen.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy
Bought a Moto Edge 50 Neo to replace a Xiaomi Redmi 10 pro. I have a Moto G30 (a tank phone). Plan is to sell the Redmi and buy a refurb Pixel, and try out Graphene. tbh Moto phones have been easily the most robust and reliable Ive had, my love of Moto goes […]

[Original post on mastodon.social]
The Motorola Microtac 3000 flipfone, released in 1997. I used a phone just like this to sell music/film merchandise to stores all over America. I made ££££ with it! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MicroTAC#/media/File:Moto_3000e.png
September 9, 2025 at 6:17 AM
drpen.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy
I am an AI hater. Lol! This is true proper funny. But also, mainly just true.

#ai #genai #aihaters #academia #academicchatter

https://anthonymoser.github.io/writing/ai/haterdom/2025/08/26/i-am-an-ai-hater.html
I am an AI hater. This is considered rude, but I do not care, because I am a hater. To speak politely about AI, you put disclaimers before criticism: of course I’m not against it entirely; perhaps in a few years when; maybe for other purposes, but. You are supposed to debate how and when it should be used. You are supposed to take for granted that it must be useful somewhere, to someone, for something, eventually. People who are rich and smart and respected are saying so, and it would be arrogant to disagree with such people. But I am a hater, which is a kind of integrity. It means I am willing to disagree with anyone, even if it is rude. “But I only use it to–” “Actually if you just—” “The new models–” “I was making fun–” Stop. You’re embarrassing yourself. I am embarrassed for you.
September 2, 2025 at 6:56 AM