Gregory T Cushman
@guanoguy.bsky.social
Global environmental historian; Pacific World & Andean ethnohistorian; historian of climate & environmental sciences; scholar of all things foul and ugly, all creatures short and squat--at the University of Arizona
The Ecuador joke falls flat. The USA invaded the Galapagos and beach city Salinas to set up bases early in 1942, then asked for the country's permission after the fact. Ecuador was bullied into becoming an "ally" within weeks of Pearl Harbor.
November 22, 2025 at 4:02 AM
The Ecuador joke falls flat. The USA invaded the Galapagos and beach city Salinas to set up bases early in 1942, then asked for the country's permission after the fact. Ecuador was bullied into becoming an "ally" within weeks of Pearl Harbor.
For further reading about Texas Lone Star BBQ disease: www.nytimes.com/2025/11/20/n...
After a Mysterious Death, a Family’s Quest for Answers Leads to a Tick
www.nytimes.com
November 20, 2025 at 2:57 PM
For further reading about Texas Lone Star BBQ disease: www.nytimes.com/2025/11/20/n...
All I see is plasticized foil wrappers. Nothing edible except legs. Also NOT FLUSHIBLE
November 18, 2025 at 5:50 PM
All I see is plasticized foil wrappers. Nothing edible except legs. Also NOT FLUSHIBLE
Cant wait for the part in the stable when Grylls starts eating ectoparasitic insects out of the manger and off the ox and the ass to survive.
November 18, 2025 at 7:55 AM
Cant wait for the part in the stable when Grylls starts eating ectoparasitic insects out of the manger and off the ox and the ass to survive.
Mike Davis's Late Victorian Holocausts is an engaging and provocative read--but breeze through the parts explaining El Niño, he didnt recognize La Niña, the climate chronologies are a mess, but the interpretation still stands up, I think.
November 15, 2025 at 2:42 PM
Mike Davis's Late Victorian Holocausts is an engaging and provocative read--but breeze through the parts explaining El Niño, he didnt recognize La Niña, the climate chronologies are a mess, but the interpretation still stands up, I think.
Had to throw out my Dust Bowl unit. ChatGPT can channel Donald Worster and it pretended (unconvincingly) it knew Dust Bowl primary sources that it hallucinated
November 15, 2025 at 2:38 PM
Had to throw out my Dust Bowl unit. ChatGPT can channel Donald Worster and it pretended (unconvincingly) it knew Dust Bowl primary sources that it hallucinated
I love Carey's book too, for a new reason: serial AI cheaters in my online history of disasters course couldnt use AI tools effectively to cheat, in part because ChatGPT is so Global North biased its responses were incoherent.
November 15, 2025 at 2:34 PM
I love Carey's book too, for a new reason: serial AI cheaters in my online history of disasters course couldnt use AI tools effectively to cheat, in part because ChatGPT is so Global North biased its responses were incoherent.
Thrilled to learn that a word that appears linguistically related to 'invader' (and weather) is a synonym for weed, evil grass, evil animals, and perhaps Darth Väder
November 6, 2025 at 3:10 PM
Thrilled to learn that a word that appears linguistically related to 'invader' (and weather) is a synonym for weed, evil grass, evil animals, and perhaps Darth Väder
Did Ross, Bret, and David ruin the NYT?
November 6, 2025 at 3:00 PM
Did Ross, Bret, and David ruin the NYT?
Letting the war hawks have it
November 4, 2025 at 2:11 PM
Letting the war hawks have it
The spine collarbones are epic.
October 28, 2025 at 12:52 AM
The spine collarbones are epic.
This is sort of like the Association of Dinosaur Astronomers asking for a thorough, transparent inventory of near-earth objects the week after Chicxulub
October 22, 2025 at 12:24 AM
This is sort of like the Association of Dinosaur Astronomers asking for a thorough, transparent inventory of near-earth objects the week after Chicxulub
guilty of two deadly sins: gluttony and sloth
October 21, 2025 at 2:55 AM
guilty of two deadly sins: gluttony and sloth
I wrote a 400pp global history of guano. Wasnt expecting the need to write a new chapter featuring Donald, the first of his name, king of the guano birds
October 19, 2025 at 3:15 AM
I wrote a 400pp global history of guano. Wasnt expecting the need to write a new chapter featuring Donald, the first of his name, king of the guano birds
Hmmm. I wonder how that may have contributed to early Holocene climate change
October 12, 2025 at 7:53 AM
Hmmm. I wonder how that may have contributed to early Holocene climate change
While we are here, those blue parts are Wind Farm City
October 1, 2025 at 7:30 AM
While we are here, those blue parts are Wind Farm City
Also striking--the latest generation versions of ChatGPT have gotten worse (much worse)! Also, attentive training (not rewarding the LLM for guesses) can iron out many of the wrinkles.
September 22, 2025 at 10:38 PM
Also striking--the latest generation versions of ChatGPT have gotten worse (much worse)! Also, attentive training (not rewarding the LLM for guesses) can iron out many of the wrinkles.
Hey Mark! Did you see the new study on LLM AI hallucinations? It's an inevitable feature of LLMs that can never be eliminated--made far worse by the way all LLMs have been rewarded for guessing wrong while being trained.
September 22, 2025 at 9:10 PM
Hey Mark! Did you see the new study on LLM AI hallucinations? It's an inevitable feature of LLMs that can never be eliminated--made far worse by the way all LLMs have been rewarded for guessing wrong while being trained.
Since you asked:
September 22, 2025 at 9:05 PM
Since you asked:
As someone who bridges both worlds, I can say authoritatively that physical & environmental sciences are just as threatened as humanities and have been for a while. Witness the carnage at Emporia State (KS) & geology at U Vermont.
September 12, 2025 at 6:02 PM
As someone who bridges both worlds, I can say authoritatively that physical & environmental sciences are just as threatened as humanities and have been for a while. Witness the carnage at Emporia State (KS) & geology at U Vermont.