Melissa Johnson, PhD
@ladyhistorian.bsky.social
Historian. Associate Professor. Community College enthusiast. Researching 17th-c gossip. Weighs more than a duck. Employed by George and Gracie. She/her.
Reposted by Melissa Johnson, PhD
I 100% agree and would add that if you are hosting a holiday event and you do NOT have something festive, creative and delicious for your guests to drink without alcohol in it, you are actually an asshole
don't make them drink tap water while everyone else has bespoke cocktails!
don't make them drink tap water while everyone else has bespoke cocktails!
Just a friendly reminder as we go into the holidays:
Folks don't have to explain to you why they don't drink.
If you offer them a drink and they decline, don't ask them why. It's not your business.
Just offer them something without alcohol to drink instead. And move on.
Folks don't have to explain to you why they don't drink.
If you offer them a drink and they decline, don't ask them why. It's not your business.
Just offer them something without alcohol to drink instead. And move on.
November 24, 2025 at 3:34 AM
I 100% agree and would add that if you are hosting a holiday event and you do NOT have something festive, creative and delicious for your guests to drink without alcohol in it, you are actually an asshole
don't make them drink tap water while everyone else has bespoke cocktails!
don't make them drink tap water while everyone else has bespoke cocktails!
Reposted by Melissa Johnson, PhD
I don't understand how anyone can watch how blatantly Grok is manipulated to answer the way ownership desires it to and then act like the other LLM chatbots couldn't possibly be similarly but less obviously compromised to produce responses in whatever way corporate interests and priorities dictate.
November 23, 2025 at 7:13 PM
I don't understand how anyone can watch how blatantly Grok is manipulated to answer the way ownership desires it to and then act like the other LLM chatbots couldn't possibly be similarly but less obviously compromised to produce responses in whatever way corporate interests and priorities dictate.
Reposted by Melissa Johnson, PhD
the answer to fighting genAI is to expose students to the world and showing them there’s a whole world out there worth knowing about. fact-checking takes expertise and so checking a genAI paper with the correct sources could take days or weeks. if info was that easy to find, they wouldn’t be tempted
November 24, 2025 at 12:29 AM
the answer to fighting genAI is to expose students to the world and showing them there’s a whole world out there worth knowing about. fact-checking takes expertise and so checking a genAI paper with the correct sources could take days or weeks. if info was that easy to find, they wouldn’t be tempted
Reposted by Melissa Johnson, PhD
Okay now it’s the holidays
November 23, 2025 at 10:58 PM
Okay now it’s the holidays
Reposted by Melissa Johnson, PhD
My conspiracy mind wants to find a link between the ascendance of credit ratings & the expansion of who can get credit cards but I'm not up to it today.
“we need to be nicer to men” bro they didn’t let women have their own credit cards til 50 years ago
November 23, 2025 at 10:51 PM
My conspiracy mind wants to find a link between the ascendance of credit ratings & the expansion of who can get credit cards but I'm not up to it today.
Reposted by Melissa Johnson, PhD
I used to get drunk and be annoying and now I am annoying 100% naturally
November 23, 2025 at 10:40 PM
I used to get drunk and be annoying and now I am annoying 100% naturally
Reposted by Melissa Johnson, PhD
“we need to be nicer to men” bro they didn’t let women have their own credit cards til 50 years ago
November 23, 2025 at 10:39 PM
“we need to be nicer to men” bro they didn’t let women have their own credit cards til 50 years ago
Reposted by Melissa Johnson, PhD
Impossible how good reading is. You mean I just point my face at the paper for a bit and it does a whole update on my brain?
November 23, 2025 at 1:52 PM
Impossible how good reading is. You mean I just point my face at the paper for a bit and it does a whole update on my brain?
Reposted by Melissa Johnson, PhD
I’ve never felt more seen.
Twitter accounts are based in Russia. BlueSky accounts are based in homes with, frankly, too many books, plants, obsolete cables, and pieces of rustic pottery, that could do with a bit of a tidying up, to be honest.
November 23, 2025 at 9:34 PM
I’ve never felt more seen.
Reposted by Melissa Johnson, PhD
The problem with Thanksgiving shopping isn’t the store, it’s the men with grocery lists as long as a CVS receipt who feel entitled to demand that women they will never see again interrupt their own shopping to do the homework for them.
Please, teach your kids of all genders how to groceries.
Please, teach your kids of all genders how to groceries.
November 23, 2025 at 9:35 PM
The problem with Thanksgiving shopping isn’t the store, it’s the men with grocery lists as long as a CVS receipt who feel entitled to demand that women they will never see again interrupt their own shopping to do the homework for them.
Please, teach your kids of all genders how to groceries.
Please, teach your kids of all genders how to groceries.
Reposted by Melissa Johnson, PhD
Sometimes it feels like scholars are afraid that by giving a belief system credence as a thing that existed, saying it motivated people and shaped the world, they're validating religious belief itself as a true thing. They sure assume things about your beliefs when you study it!
November 23, 2025 at 9:36 PM
Sometimes it feels like scholars are afraid that by giving a belief system credence as a thing that existed, saying it motivated people and shaped the world, they're validating religious belief itself as a true thing. They sure assume things about your beliefs when you study it!
Reposted by Melissa Johnson, PhD
I think if you just write off belief as superstition, and women's belief as oppression/mind control, you struggle to comprehend a lot of what happens and come up with kind of insulting explanations instead.
November 23, 2025 at 9:18 PM
I think if you just write off belief as superstition, and women's belief as oppression/mind control, you struggle to comprehend a lot of what happens and come up with kind of insulting explanations instead.
Reposted by Melissa Johnson, PhD
the “thanksgiving food is bad” discourse raises its ugly head every year, but the truth remains that thanksgiving food can be amazing as long as you know how to cook. the problem is we’re throwing a few million sunday drivers directly into a grand prix
I think this is unfair to turkey. turkey is good but hard to cook well because it is so damn big. turkey *parts* are great but lack the esthetic appeal of a centerpiece bird.
it is tired to the point of cliche to say if turkey was good, people would make it more than once a year. but it is understated that at least one American explodes every Thanksgiving in a brave attempt to make the main dish more palatable
November 23, 2025 at 7:44 PM
the “thanksgiving food is bad” discourse raises its ugly head every year, but the truth remains that thanksgiving food can be amazing as long as you know how to cook. the problem is we’re throwing a few million sunday drivers directly into a grand prix
Reposted by Melissa Johnson, PhD
Every regional public university should be blasting this message in every possible medium.
Trying to get us to advertise as: "No AI, small classes, people-first." Or something similar.
Who invests in critical thinking and who invests in an AI chatbot to help you think will be really telling.
November 23, 2025 at 8:09 PM
Every regional public university should be blasting this message in every possible medium.
Reposted by Melissa Johnson, PhD
One of the bragging rights that the US ed system had in the 20th century is that we didn't have education tracks. Essentially, any kid could go to a CC or state school & major in whatever they wanted to (obviously an oversimplification). I fear this aspect of the American dream is dying.
November 23, 2025 at 4:47 PM
One of the bragging rights that the US ed system had in the 20th century is that we didn't have education tracks. Essentially, any kid could go to a CC or state school & major in whatever they wanted to (obviously an oversimplification). I fear this aspect of the American dream is dying.
Reposted by Melissa Johnson, PhD
something that has always irked me is that the seashore is the actual worst fucking place for her to sell seashells.
November 23, 2025 at 4:43 AM
something that has always irked me is that the seashore is the actual worst fucking place for her to sell seashells.
Reposted by Melissa Johnson, PhD
Ok palate cleanse time. In case you missed it, here's my most popular post ever
4 yrs ago today, a family member managed a truly spectacular own goal, splintered his domestic bliss, & in the process, united the world for a day.
On popular request, I shall now recreate the livetweet thread from that day
So gather around children, for this is the tale of The Rice Truck Saga
On popular request, I shall now recreate the livetweet thread from that day
So gather around children, for this is the tale of The Rice Truck Saga
November 23, 2025 at 11:48 AM
Ok palate cleanse time. In case you missed it, here's my most popular post ever
Reposted by Melissa Johnson, PhD
Nov 23rd 1984 - Jack Ryan came to the conclusion that the rogue Soviet naval captain, Ramius (Sean Connery), plans to defect to the United States.
📽️📅 The Hunt for Red October (1990)
📽️📅 The Hunt for Red October (1990)
November 23, 2025 at 2:17 PM
Nov 23rd 1984 - Jack Ryan came to the conclusion that the rogue Soviet naval captain, Ramius (Sean Connery), plans to defect to the United States.
📽️📅 The Hunt for Red October (1990)
📽️📅 The Hunt for Red October (1990)
Reposted by Melissa Johnson, PhD
I WAS LOOKING FOR A JOB
AND THEN I FOUND A JOB
AND HEAVEN KNOWS I’M MISERABLE NOW
AND THEN I FOUND A JOB
AND HEAVEN KNOWS I’M MISERABLE NOW
November 23, 2025 at 4:02 PM
I WAS LOOKING FOR A JOB
AND THEN I FOUND A JOB
AND HEAVEN KNOWS I’M MISERABLE NOW
AND THEN I FOUND A JOB
AND HEAVEN KNOWS I’M MISERABLE NOW
Reposted by Melissa Johnson, PhD
I think the shortest version of why LLMs are an anti education technology is that education is fundamentally about making shared context to understand ourselves, each other, and the world
And by design LLMs destroy shared context
And by design LLMs destroy shared context
November 23, 2025 at 12:57 PM
I think the shortest version of why LLMs are an anti education technology is that education is fundamentally about making shared context to understand ourselves, each other, and the world
And by design LLMs destroy shared context
And by design LLMs destroy shared context
Reposted by Melissa Johnson, PhD
Did you ever wake up to find
A day that broke up your mind
Destroyed your notion of circular time
It's just that demon life has got you in its sway
A day that broke up your mind
Destroyed your notion of circular time
It's just that demon life has got you in its sway
November 23, 2025 at 6:11 AM
Did you ever wake up to find
A day that broke up your mind
Destroyed your notion of circular time
It's just that demon life has got you in its sway
A day that broke up your mind
Destroyed your notion of circular time
It's just that demon life has got you in its sway
Reposted by Melissa Johnson, PhD
Salad sucks and we eat it under protest, this isn’t complicated
Fast-casual salad chain Sweetgreen is struggling as its traffic and sales continue to fall and it reports millions in losses each quarter.
The company hasn’t figured out how to turn a profit.
The company hasn’t figured out how to turn a profit.
Why Americans are giving up on Sweetgreen
The fast-casual chain Sweetgreen's struggles are worsening.
cnb.cx
November 23, 2025 at 4:08 AM
Salad sucks and we eat it under protest, this isn’t complicated
Reposted by Melissa Johnson, PhD
Hey look at this amazing plan I came up with! Oh you don't like it? Yeah it sucks it's not even mine what a dumb idea.
November 23, 2025 at 1:00 AM
Hey look at this amazing plan I came up with! Oh you don't like it? Yeah it sucks it's not even mine what a dumb idea.
Reposted by Melissa Johnson, PhD
I won't believe in Heaven and Hell
No saints, no sinners, no devil as well
No pearly gates, no thorny crown
You're always letting us humans down
The wars you bring, the babes you drown
Those lost at sea and never found
No saints, no sinners, no devil as well
No pearly gates, no thorny crown
You're always letting us humans down
The wars you bring, the babes you drown
Those lost at sea and never found
November 23, 2025 at 4:04 AM
I won't believe in Heaven and Hell
No saints, no sinners, no devil as well
No pearly gates, no thorny crown
You're always letting us humans down
The wars you bring, the babes you drown
Those lost at sea and never found
No saints, no sinners, no devil as well
No pearly gates, no thorny crown
You're always letting us humans down
The wars you bring, the babes you drown
Those lost at sea and never found
Reposted by Melissa Johnson, PhD
OH IIIIIIII AYYY
OHHHH I'M STILL ALIIVVVE
YEAH AH YEAH OH IIIIIII OHHHHHH OH I'M STILL ALIIVVVE
YEAH AH UH YEAHHH
ok sorry had to do one
OHHHH I'M STILL ALIIVVVE
YEAH AH YEAH OH IIIIIII OHHHHHH OH I'M STILL ALIIVVVE
YEAH AH UH YEAHHH
ok sorry had to do one
November 23, 2025 at 3:49 AM
OH IIIIIIII AYYY
OHHHH I'M STILL ALIIVVVE
YEAH AH YEAH OH IIIIIII OHHHHHH OH I'M STILL ALIIVVVE
YEAH AH UH YEAHHH
ok sorry had to do one
OHHHH I'M STILL ALIIVVVE
YEAH AH YEAH OH IIIIIII OHHHHHH OH I'M STILL ALIIVVVE
YEAH AH UH YEAHHH
ok sorry had to do one