Mark Bresnan
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markbresnan.bsky.social
Mark Bresnan
@markbresnan.bsky.social
American lit and writing professor.
Reposted by Mark Bresnan
This Trans Day of Remembrance, the only message I have is:

It's not enough to remember us, you need to support us while we're still here.
November 20, 2024 at 6:54 PM
If a student can ace an exam with one pre-written notecard... you write terrible exams.

Also a good portion of your other students are probably cheating-- they just didn't show you their notecards in advance.
Times Higher Ed has a column today about getting rid of accommodations for students with disabilities. It is breathtakingly ableist. It argues for the exclusion of people with disabilities from higher ed. I am not linking: it's click bait, but you can see the opening paragraph below.
October 23, 2024 at 6:28 PM
Writers: repost a random piece that you’re proud of.

This essay from Fall 2016, pre-election.

lareviewofbooks.org/article/amer...
October 18, 2024 at 5:47 PM
Live on Kaleidoscope Radio until noon mountain time: tune in!

www.kscope.studio/radio
Radio Station | Kaleidoscope
www.kscope.studio
October 14, 2024 at 4:21 PM
Reposted by Mark Bresnan
New playlist EARLIEST ALTERNATIVE 1965-1971 - music by visionaries, iconoclasts, pioneers, and precursors of what would become alternative rock.
Spotify: open.spotify.com/playlist/7CI...
Apple Music: music.apple.com/us/playlist/...
YouTube: www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...
October 10, 2024 at 7:47 PM
I just really hate this line of thinking from Derek Thompson @theatlantic.bsky.social. We talk about this in my science writing classes all the time, and college students seem to get it pretty quickly: you can’t communicate by trying to defend against every possible objection.
September 16, 2024 at 11:22 PM
Also, we'd really appreciate if you would raise the cap for your class, as many students need it to graduate. No, we will not be opening an extra section; we'd have to scrape together $4500 to get an adjunct to teach it!
I'm sorry, we cannot approve your $800 expense report for the academic conference you attended, because the hotel you reserved, although it was $100 cheaper than the conference hotel rate, was not on our approved vendor list, & you did not submit the proper itemized receipt for your $15 lunch.
Sasse: “there’s no way I could make things worse!”

Sasse: “Hold my beer.”

www.wuft.org/fresh-take-f...
September 12, 2024 at 11:24 PM
Reposted by Mark Bresnan
I am still pissed off about Boulder's Pearl St.'s West End being re-opened to cars. pedestrian-only West End was one of the best things Boulder had done in recent years. All to protect some *really* crappy parking spots.
August 14, 2024 at 10:16 PM
Reposted by Mark Bresnan
Defector Reads A Book's next choice is Helen Macdonald's 'H Is For Hawk.' defector.com/drabh-is-for...
DRAB:H Is For Defector Reads A Bird: 'H Is For Hawk' | Defector
Right now, in mid-June, Eurasian goshawks are patrolling their northern hunting grounds, snacking on birds and small mammals they’ve dive-bombed from perches in the woods. Soon, you will be snacking, ...
defector.com
June 20, 2024 at 6:30 PM
Reposted by Mark Bresnan
This is the GOAT 30 for 30.

There's so much here. You let the footage just wash over you like channel surfing in the old days. It captures the moment, the time, so well.

"with the right kind of eyes you can almost see the high-water mark--that place where the wave finally broke and rolled back."
June 17, 2024 at 4:30 PM
Reposted by Mark Bresnan
sam alito
in tuxedo
gets recorded
incognito
Nirvana Kurt Cobain GIF
ALT: Nirvana Kurt Cobain GIF
media.tenor.com
June 12, 2024 at 1:53 AM
Reposted by Mark Bresnan
Speaking as someone who had student loans and paid them off WITH THE SWEAT OF MY OWN BROW —

Fucking good, student loans are a scam and a betrayal of the American promise to our youth, get those loans forgiven and have one less financial noose around your neck
March 27, 2024 at 9:21 PM
Reposted by Mark Bresnan
MLB’s investigation into Shohei Ohtani is sponsored by FanDuel. Use code GAMBLINGISBAD for $200 in free bets
March 21, 2024 at 12:17 AM
Reposted by Mark Bresnan
Hey, remember MOOCs? Remember "the year of the MOOC?" Remember how UVA's board tried to fire the president because she wasn't sufficiently hyped about MOOCs? Remember how Sebastian Thrun (Udacity) said there would eventually be only 10 higher-ed outlets bc of MOOCs?

Just thought I'd ask.
"LLMs must become a core part of the educational experience.... This imperative grows with each new development in text, image, and voice generation — even the potential for AI-driven lessons delivered by simulated celebrities." Uurrgghh. (And what about environmental damage of this proposal?)
The continued success of universities hinges on the response to the generative AI reckoning | Wonkhe
The essay assessment is only the most obvious casualty of generative AI. Janice Kay, Chris Husbands and Jason Tangen explain why AI should prompt a total overhaul of education strategies
wonkhe.com
March 11, 2024 at 10:30 AM
Reposted by Mark Bresnan
Skeeting out yacht rock! YACHT ROCK SONG OF THE DAY (night, lol) #253 is "Never Be the Same," Christopher Cross's third single. Though it stalled at #15 pop, it finally broke big at the ultra-conservative AC format, topping that chart. Guitar solo by Jay Graydon, piano by producer Michael Omartian
Christopher Cross - Never Be The Same (1979)
From his self-titled 1979 debut release, Christopher Cross. Produced by Michael Omartian A Free Flow ProductionProduction Assistance : Michael Ostin Engineer...
youtu.be
March 10, 2024 at 6:54 AM
Reposted by Mark Bresnan
Very moving article about Trikafta, the “miracle” cystic fibrosis drug, and some of the lives it has affected. [theatlantic.com]
The Cystic-Fibrosis Breakthrough That Changed Everything
The disease once guaranteed an early death—but a new treatment has given many patients a chance to live decades longer than expected. What do they do now?
www.theatlantic.com
March 7, 2024 at 7:36 PM
Reposted by Mark Bresnan
Looking forward to a future where students don't write papers that professors don't read.
How it “works” 🫠
March 6, 2024 at 2:40 PM
Reposted by Mark Bresnan
[the mushroom cloud grows as those around me pray and say their goodbyes]

college basketball analyst: don’t need a three here
February 24, 2024 at 7:04 PM
Reposted by Mark Bresnan
Look at this shit. Under a Google "people also ask" section where they show questions and summarize the answers...they pull from F. Douglas's autobiography where he describes his "owner" when he was enslaved. BUT the summary makes it seem like Douglas himself was the slaveholder.

BURN IT DOWN.
February 14, 2024 at 4:04 PM
Reposted by Mark Bresnan
How is the OpenAI board gonna fire Sam Altman just because he gave answers that sounded plausible but weren't actually accurate?
November 17, 2023 at 9:07 PM
Reposted by Mark Bresnan
Exonerated Five member Yusef Salaam has won a seat on the New York City Council, more than three decades after he was wrongfully accused and convicted as a teenager
Exonerated ‘Central Park Five’ member Yusef Salaam wins New York City Council seat
Exonerated “Central Park Five” member Yusef Salaam won a seat Tuesday evening on the New York City Council.
bit.ly
November 8, 2023 at 2:56 AM
Reposted by Mark Bresnan
Moby Dick 🤝 Coffin Flop

@ityslmemes.com
November 3, 2023 at 3:12 PM