John Harney
@ludensprof.bsky.social
Associate Professor of History at Centre College. Written on: baseball in colonial Taiwan; American missionaries in interwar China. Interested in national identity, science fiction, video games. Associate Editor at www.historyrespawned.com
Pinned
John Harney
@ludensprof.bsky.social
· Sep 13
Dreams of a Young Republic - Nebraska Press
The Congregation of the Mission, a Catholic order known as the Vincentians after their founder Saint Vincent de Paul, began missionary work in China in 1699....
www.nebraskapress.unl.edu
My book is out in a couple of weeks. If you’re interested in Catholicism in China or how American and Chinese ideas interacted before the Communist revolution, you should check it out!
www.nebraskapress.unl.edu/nebraska/978...
www.nebraskapress.unl.edu/nebraska/978...
Britain out here bringing back the Volk. Was the John Cleese goose step for nothing?
Refugees’ jewellery could be seized to pay for asylum costs, says Home Office minister
Refugees’ jewellery could be seized to pay for asylum costs, says Home Office minister
Idea borrowed from Denmark is latest attempt to reduce number of refugees coming to UK
Refugees could have jewellery or other valuables taken to pay for the costs of processing their cases, a Home Office minister has said, in another detail of changes to migration policy likely to cause worries among Labour MPs.
Speaking to broadcasters before the formal announcement of sweeping changes to asylum policy on Monday, the Home Office minister Alex Norris said while this would not involve seizing wedding rings, jewellery without sentimental value could be taken. Continue reading...
www.theguardian.com
November 17, 2025 at 11:56 AM
Britain out here bringing back the Volk. Was the John Cleese goose step for nothing?
Reposted by John Harney
Re reading PhD notes for a paper I’m writing and finding myself arguing with my interpretation some 8 years ago.
November 17, 2025 at 11:02 AM
Re reading PhD notes for a paper I’m writing and finding myself arguing with my interpretation some 8 years ago.
Reposted by John Harney
Lately I've been really angry about how much bad behavior is tolerated and enabled in academia. Thinking about how everyone knew a prof at MSU was retaliating against female students who rejected him but it still took at least 7 years to get him out. Thinking about weaponized incompetence.
"I could be a mentor to this very sharp person but as they aren't interested in me romantically I'm going to have to cut off all communication with them."
"Also, only men get the best mentors like me who can help them get into top journals. Clearly that's because men have higher IQ than women."
"Also, only men get the best mentors like me who can help them get into top journals. Clearly that's because men have higher IQ than women."
November 16, 2025 at 12:59 AM
Lately I've been really angry about how much bad behavior is tolerated and enabled in academia. Thinking about how everyone knew a prof at MSU was retaliating against female students who rejected him but it still took at least 7 years to get him out. Thinking about weaponized incompetence.
Reposted by John Harney
The President should not be making personal for-profit business deals with the foreign leaders while he's supposed to be conducting foreign policy on behalf of the country.
This should not be a remotely controversial statement.
This should not be a remotely controversial statement.
Saudi officials used President Trump’s state visit in May to pique his interest in a major real estate development, the latest example of Trump blending governance and family business, particularly in Persian Gulf countries. nyti.ms/4r7mboU
November 16, 2025 at 12:20 AM
The President should not be making personal for-profit business deals with the foreign leaders while he's supposed to be conducting foreign policy on behalf of the country.
This should not be a remotely controversial statement.
This should not be a remotely controversial statement.
Reposted by John Harney
i think online gambling is a cancer that is spreading throughout our society, it was a horrible mistake to de-regulate it, and we desperately need to crack down on it again
i can’t talk about sports gambling anymore without sounding like a crank but i do believe legalized sports gambling is like 15-20% responsible for our current dystopia
The Athletic polled hundreds of players from across the NBA, NFL, MLB and NHL about their opinions surrounding how sports betting impacts players — the responses were haunting.
November 15, 2025 at 6:25 PM
i think online gambling is a cancer that is spreading throughout our society, it was a horrible mistake to de-regulate it, and we desperately need to crack down on it again
I would post more but it feels… in bad taste? Almost silly? Given the context of “waves hands, etc etc.”
But I follow lots of people who just share stuff and it’s great and I really like it.
Also this post is in and of itself an ironic… I feel dizzy.
But I follow lots of people who just share stuff and it’s great and I really like it.
Also this post is in and of itself an ironic… I feel dizzy.
November 16, 2025 at 12:33 AM
I would post more but it feels… in bad taste? Almost silly? Given the context of “waves hands, etc etc.”
But I follow lots of people who just share stuff and it’s great and I really like it.
Also this post is in and of itself an ironic… I feel dizzy.
But I follow lots of people who just share stuff and it’s great and I really like it.
Also this post is in and of itself an ironic… I feel dizzy.
Reposted by John Harney
Massive high five to everyone who came to the @handsoffnyc.bsky.social / @bkindivisible.bsky.social event at @anyonecomics.bsky.social today! Incredible turnout - filled the inside of the store and two tables outside! Folded about 800 zines and gave out loads of whistles and buttons and stickers!
November 16, 2025 at 12:18 AM
Massive high five to everyone who came to the @handsoffnyc.bsky.social / @bkindivisible.bsky.social event at @anyonecomics.bsky.social today! Incredible turnout - filled the inside of the store and two tables outside! Folded about 800 zines and gave out loads of whistles and buttons and stickers!
Reposted by John Harney
I just don’t see how we can pretend even for a moment that anything involving our federal government is remotely normal when the president is covering up his involvement in a child sex trafficking ring. Like, what are we doing here
November 15, 2025 at 1:14 AM
I just don’t see how we can pretend even for a moment that anything involving our federal government is remotely normal when the president is covering up his involvement in a child sex trafficking ring. Like, what are we doing here
Reposted by John Harney
one more depression nap should do the trick
November 15, 2025 at 10:23 PM
one more depression nap should do the trick
Reposted by John Harney
Harvard disgraces itself every day it continues to bestow the "University Professor" title on Summers
The emails have Summers reporting to Epstein about his attempts to date a Harvard economics student & to hit on her during a seminar she was giving.
November 15, 2025 at 10:04 PM
Harvard disgraces itself every day it continues to bestow the "University Professor" title on Summers
Reposted by John Harney
We're happy to announce the call for contributions for our new HGN theme: Fictions! Following a successful event last month, this theme explores the relationship between history and fiction in games, and how they shape each other.
www.historicalgames.net/call-for-con...
#gamestudies #gamingthepast
www.historicalgames.net/call-for-con...
#gamestudies #gamingthepast
Call for Contributions - Fictions | Historical Games Network
Our theme of Fictions started with a HGN | IWM panel at the Royal Society of Edinburgh’s Curious Festival. You can read more about the event on the Historical Games Network blog and you can watch the ...
www.historicalgames.net
October 16, 2025 at 2:02 PM
We're happy to announce the call for contributions for our new HGN theme: Fictions! Following a successful event last month, this theme explores the relationship between history and fiction in games, and how they shape each other.
www.historicalgames.net/call-for-con...
#gamestudies #gamingthepast
www.historicalgames.net/call-for-con...
#gamestudies #gamingthepast
Reposted by John Harney
who gets this kind of shitty romanticizing prose written about them, and who gets dry commentary, depends on being in the club or not. as a journalist I find little more obnoxious than the idea of going to bat for somebody who violated basic professional ethics simply because she's in the club
November 14, 2025 at 6:22 PM
who gets this kind of shitty romanticizing prose written about them, and who gets dry commentary, depends on being in the club or not. as a journalist I find little more obnoxious than the idea of going to bat for somebody who violated basic professional ethics simply because she's in the club
Reposted by John Harney
Every dollar spent on public higher education, especially research universities, delivers far more in return. So simple. And yet it is all-but-impossible to convince politicians of either party to do the wise thing.
#edusky
kval.com/news/local/o...
#edusky
kval.com/news/local/o...
Oregon economy gets $3.7B boost from UO, contributing 1% of state's total economy
A report released in September says the University of Oregon (UO) is responsible for close to $3.7-Billion of Oregon's economy; that's roughly one-percent of Or
kval.com
November 14, 2025 at 3:22 AM
Every dollar spent on public higher education, especially research universities, delivers far more in return. So simple. And yet it is all-but-impossible to convince politicians of either party to do the wise thing.
#edusky
kval.com/news/local/o...
#edusky
kval.com/news/local/o...
This is good, and a rebuke of the kind of crap that ultimately turned me away from the Church.
Not undermining this important moment, but worth pointing out, those five no votes should be ashamed.
Not undermining this important moment, but worth pointing out, those five no votes should be ashamed.
BREAKING: At Pope Leo XIV’s urging, U.S. Catholic bishops just delivered the strongest rebuke of a sitting president in Church history — condemning Trump-Vance raids as “inhumane” and “dehumanizing” in a 216–5 vote.
NEW: At Pope Leo’s Urging, Bishops Issue Historic Rebuke of Trump’s Raids
Nearly all U.S. Catholic bishops united in Baltimore to denounce the Trump administration’s “inhumane” deportation campaign — a near-unanimous, unprecedented moral stand against a sitting president.
www.thelettersfromleo.com
November 14, 2025 at 1:39 PM
This is good, and a rebuke of the kind of crap that ultimately turned me away from the Church.
Not undermining this important moment, but worth pointing out, those five no votes should be ashamed.
Not undermining this important moment, but worth pointing out, those five no votes should be ashamed.
Reposted by John Harney
I spend enough time feeling disheartened by the hierarchy that when the USCCB seems to be waking up and finding their voice, I'm gonna celebrate it.
BREAKING: At Pope Leo XIV’s urging, U.S. Catholic bishops just delivered the strongest rebuke of a sitting president in Church history — condemning Trump-Vance raids as “inhumane” and “dehumanizing” in a 216–5 vote.
NEW: At Pope Leo’s Urging, Bishops Issue Historic Rebuke of Trump’s Raids
Nearly all U.S. Catholic bishops united in Baltimore to denounce the Trump administration’s “inhumane” deportation campaign — a near-unanimous, unprecedented moral stand against a sitting president.
www.thelettersfromleo.com
November 13, 2025 at 4:11 AM
I spend enough time feeling disheartened by the hierarchy that when the USCCB seems to be waking up and finding their voice, I'm gonna celebrate it.
Reposted by John Harney
So, a few things
1. This was literally a Black Mirror episode
2. I don't want an uncanny valley shiny skin version of a loved one with no idea who my loved one was. LLM's can't help but hallucinate citations, but they'll make it feel like I'm talking to the real person from a three minute video?
1. This was literally a Black Mirror episode
2. I don't want an uncanny valley shiny skin version of a loved one with no idea who my loved one was. LLM's can't help but hallucinate citations, but they'll make it feel like I'm talking to the real person from a three minute video?
November 14, 2025 at 1:13 PM
So, a few things
1. This was literally a Black Mirror episode
2. I don't want an uncanny valley shiny skin version of a loved one with no idea who my loved one was. LLM's can't help but hallucinate citations, but they'll make it feel like I'm talking to the real person from a three minute video?
1. This was literally a Black Mirror episode
2. I don't want an uncanny valley shiny skin version of a loved one with no idea who my loved one was. LLM's can't help but hallucinate citations, but they'll make it feel like I'm talking to the real person from a three minute video?
Trying to picture myself asking my mother to spend three minutes talking and posing in front of my phone so that her eventual death will hold less meaning.
November 14, 2025 at 1:22 PM
Trying to picture myself asking my mother to spend three minutes talking and posing in front of my phone so that her eventual death will hold less meaning.
Reposted by John Harney
We're upping our rates for the third time. Do you like to pay $29.99 per month or let your parents truly die forever
November 13, 2025 at 9:40 PM
We're upping our rates for the third time. Do you like to pay $29.99 per month or let your parents truly die forever
Reposted by John Harney
Dear god
November 14, 2025 at 12:15 PM
Dear god
Reposted by John Harney
I haven't felt excited or impressed by a Flatscreen technology for about 15~ years, maybe since the first time I saw OLED tech
but I recently acquired a LaserDisc player and man, seeing that thing hooked up to a Widescreen CRT is just a thing of beauty, I feel like the King of 1995
but I recently acquired a LaserDisc player and man, seeing that thing hooked up to a Widescreen CRT is just a thing of beauty, I feel like the King of 1995
November 12, 2025 at 3:01 AM
I haven't felt excited or impressed by a Flatscreen technology for about 15~ years, maybe since the first time I saw OLED tech
but I recently acquired a LaserDisc player and man, seeing that thing hooked up to a Widescreen CRT is just a thing of beauty, I feel like the King of 1995
but I recently acquired a LaserDisc player and man, seeing that thing hooked up to a Widescreen CRT is just a thing of beauty, I feel like the King of 1995
Reposted by John Harney
In the past few weeks I have heard fancy enterprise AI consultants say big companies need to “get their data ready” for AI and been told that legacy smart home platforms aren’t built for AI assistants and my friends, this is the entire problem AI is supposed to solve
November 11, 2025 at 7:06 PM
In the past few weeks I have heard fancy enterprise AI consultants say big companies need to “get their data ready” for AI and been told that legacy smart home platforms aren’t built for AI assistants and my friends, this is the entire problem AI is supposed to solve
Reposted by John Harney
It’s officially out!
Excellent new titles releasing today:
-Mysterious Tales of Old Minneapolis, fiction by Larry Millett
-Everything Is Permitted: On Assassin's Creed by @ckunzelman.bsky.social
-By Their Work: Indigenous Women's Digital Media in North America, edited by Joanna Hearne and @karrmencrey.bsky.social
-Mysterious Tales of Old Minneapolis, fiction by Larry Millett
-Everything Is Permitted: On Assassin's Creed by @ckunzelman.bsky.social
-By Their Work: Indigenous Women's Digital Media in North America, edited by Joanna Hearne and @karrmencrey.bsky.social
November 11, 2025 at 5:06 PM
It’s officially out!
Reposted by John Harney
Friends! On November 19th at 16:00, in Auditorium 3 at the ITU, we are hosting a talk by Florence Smith Nicholls. The talk is titled How to be a video game archaeologist. You can read about it here: digitalplay.itu.dk/event/floren...
How To Be A Video Game Archaeologist - A talk by Florence Smith Nicholls | Center for Digital Play
How To Be A Video Game Archaeologist - A talk by Florence Smith Nicholls
digitalplay.itu.dk
November 10, 2025 at 12:40 PM
Friends! On November 19th at 16:00, in Auditorium 3 at the ITU, we are hosting a talk by Florence Smith Nicholls. The talk is titled How to be a video game archaeologist. You can read about it here: digitalplay.itu.dk/event/floren...
Reposted by John Harney
Exactly.
Someone just asked me "but is political gain (vs Trump) worth seismic political risk?"
Allowing Trump to function as a lawless dictator without any pushback from Congress IS the seismic political risk here.
Someone just asked me "but is political gain (vs Trump) worth seismic political risk?"
Allowing Trump to function as a lawless dictator without any pushback from Congress IS the seismic political risk here.
Democrats have to stop bailing out Republicans from facing the consequences of their own policies. And yeah, that means they have to stop sparing voters from experiencing what GOP government truly means.
Every time Dems step in, it only emboldens the GOP & they make it even worse the next time.
Every time Dems step in, it only emboldens the GOP & they make it even worse the next time.
So Democrats get:
1. A CR that will prevent the GOP from facing the wrath of Americans for a shutdown over the holidays
2. A coupon for one (1) meaningless ACA vote that will fail
3. An end to the illegal RIF/SNAP moves that are already before the courts
Those all seem like wins for the GOP.
1. A CR that will prevent the GOP from facing the wrath of Americans for a shutdown over the holidays
2. A coupon for one (1) meaningless ACA vote that will fail
3. An end to the illegal RIF/SNAP moves that are already before the courts
Those all seem like wins for the GOP.
November 10, 2025 at 12:31 AM
Exactly.
Someone just asked me "but is political gain (vs Trump) worth seismic political risk?"
Allowing Trump to function as a lawless dictator without any pushback from Congress IS the seismic political risk here.
Someone just asked me "but is political gain (vs Trump) worth seismic political risk?"
Allowing Trump to function as a lawless dictator without any pushback from Congress IS the seismic political risk here.