Matt Baldwin
@mcbalz.bsky.social
Former academic, PhD U Chicago Div, Religious Studies scholar now in corporate consulting (Info Risk and AI Gov). My interests are all over the place. All posts entirely my own responsibility. Politics? give em enough rope.
Pinned
Matt Baldwin
@mcbalz.bsky.social
· Nov 21
Apparently 20 million people are on Blue Sky now. Over time I’d like to connect with other Scholars of Religion, plus Philosophers, Logicians, Coders, Hackers, Data Analysts, Journalists, Pollsters, Consultants, and Comedians. Accepting suggestions … and I follow back! (No assholes though)
Only two of the 11 presidential elections held between 1980 and 2024 were won by a person who wasn’t already a celebrity, or an incumbent president, or an incumbent or former vice president, or the son of a president/vice-president.
Stop telling your children that “anyone can be president.”
Stop telling your children that “anyone can be president.”
December 6, 2024 at 1:52 PM
Only two of the 11 presidential elections held between 1980 and 2024 were won by a person who wasn’t already a celebrity, or an incumbent president, or an incumbent or former vice president, or the son of a president/vice-president.
Stop telling your children that “anyone can be president.”
Stop telling your children that “anyone can be president.”
Look at American Presidential Politics 1980-2028 … during fully one third (16/48) of those years the office of president (will have) has been given to a Republican celebrity whose national name recognition stemmed from time spent on “the silver screen.”
December 6, 2024 at 1:20 PM
Look at American Presidential Politics 1980-2028 … during fully one third (16/48) of those years the office of president (will have) has been given to a Republican celebrity whose national name recognition stemmed from time spent on “the silver screen.”
Over the past fifty years control over American media was consolidated; once upon a time an expansive landscape of local newspapers, magazines, and radio stations represented the competing interests of a diversity of elites. Now just a handful of national corporations control that entire space.
December 6, 2024 at 12:49 PM
Over the past fifty years control over American media was consolidated; once upon a time an expansive landscape of local newspapers, magazines, and radio stations represented the competing interests of a diversity of elites. Now just a handful of national corporations control that entire space.
Getting into office requires support from the masses, but reaching the masses requires the support of the wealthy.
It is the oligarchs controlling media empires who determine what the masses see, and select those who will compete for power, and size the “Overton window” for political ideas.
It is the oligarchs controlling media empires who determine what the masses see, and select those who will compete for power, and size the “Overton window” for political ideas.
December 6, 2024 at 12:17 PM
Getting into office requires support from the masses, but reaching the masses requires the support of the wealthy.
It is the oligarchs controlling media empires who determine what the masses see, and select those who will compete for power, and size the “Overton window” for political ideas.
It is the oligarchs controlling media empires who determine what the masses see, and select those who will compete for power, and size the “Overton window” for political ideas.
In every recent presidential election, with the exception of two, the candidate who spent the most money won the race. Can you guess which two? And what is the common factor? Think thrice before you answer.
December 6, 2024 at 12:01 PM
In every recent presidential election, with the exception of two, the candidate who spent the most money won the race. Can you guess which two? And what is the common factor? Think thrice before you answer.
I can’t help but notice how spending even a few minutes on “social media” makes me feel incredibly shitty. Y’all, we need to spend a lot more time walking outside and having real face to face conversations with friends and neighbors. This snarky apocalyptic doom scroll realm is not helping anyone
December 6, 2024 at 3:29 AM
I can’t help but notice how spending even a few minutes on “social media” makes me feel incredibly shitty. Y’all, we need to spend a lot more time walking outside and having real face to face conversations with friends and neighbors. This snarky apocalyptic doom scroll realm is not helping anyone
Reposted by Matt Baldwin
Half a billion people— the whole of the EU’s citizenry— owe their right not to be casually surveilled en masse by their governments to Karlin’s reporting on Data Retention.
We literally cited it to the court in the DRI data retention case.
We literally cited it to the court in the DRI data retention case.
The end of an era and certainly, surely, the single most insightful run on a rapidly changing field.
Karlin Lillington’s last column in today’s Irish Times.
Karlin Lillington’s last column in today’s Irish Times.
December 5, 2024 at 8:20 AM
Half a billion people— the whole of the EU’s citizenry— owe their right not to be casually surveilled en masse by their governments to Karlin’s reporting on Data Retention.
We literally cited it to the court in the DRI data retention case.
We literally cited it to the court in the DRI data retention case.
A religion writer argues that "religious sounding language" isn't "actually" "religious" because it is produced by "secular people" "with zero ties" to "church" or "theology."
What if I told you that religion itself is nothing more than "religious sounding language" and the social effects thereof?
What if I told you that religion itself is nothing more than "religious sounding language" and the social effects thereof?
December 5, 2024 at 7:51 PM
A religion writer argues that "religious sounding language" isn't "actually" "religious" because it is produced by "secular people" "with zero ties" to "church" or "theology."
What if I told you that religion itself is nothing more than "religious sounding language" and the social effects thereof?
What if I told you that religion itself is nothing more than "religious sounding language" and the social effects thereof?
Reposted by Matt Baldwin
A member of my University’s administration came in to tell us that society has no respect for higher education anymore. I asked him if the administration planned to lower tuition and stop building useless, empty buildings. He informed me that instead we would make four-year college “optional.”
December 4, 2024 at 4:47 PM
A member of my University’s administration came in to tell us that society has no respect for higher education anymore. I asked him if the administration planned to lower tuition and stop building useless, empty buildings. He informed me that instead we would make four-year college “optional.”
I’m still on Facebook… still go there time to time. I have hundreds of friends who teach college. Right now my FB feed is like a stream of suffering because the friends are grading, and the sheer volume of AI generated work from students is killing their souls. That’s it. That’s the post.
December 5, 2024 at 12:35 AM
I’m still on Facebook… still go there time to time. I have hundreds of friends who teach college. Right now my FB feed is like a stream of suffering because the friends are grading, and the sheer volume of AI generated work from students is killing their souls. That’s it. That’s the post.
Some mornings more than others I miss #academic #religious-studies. And some mornings I wonder what motivates the field, and where it is going. Curiosity and wonder drove me into it; I do miss focusing my day on understanding stuff. But the futility of it drove me out. What keeps you going, #AcREL?
December 3, 2024 at 12:09 PM
Some mornings more than others I miss #academic #religious-studies. And some mornings I wonder what motivates the field, and where it is going. Curiosity and wonder drove me into it; I do miss focusing my day on understanding stuff. But the futility of it drove me out. What keeps you going, #AcREL?
It’s like in a DC universe movie where the Joker has taken over the city and starts to divvy up the spoils among his henchmen and the also-ran supervillains. Where is Batman when you need him?
December 3, 2024 at 11:42 AM
It’s like in a DC universe movie where the Joker has taken over the city and starts to divvy up the spoils among his henchmen and the also-ran supervillains. Where is Batman when you need him?
There isn’t much to say anymore since it’s been proven that it’s useless talking to these people.
December 3, 2024 at 10:37 AM
There isn’t much to say anymore since it’s been proven that it’s useless talking to these people.
Cryptography … is it tedious or is it glorious ?
November 29, 2024 at 11:23 PM
Cryptography … is it tedious or is it glorious ?
Ok if you think statistics are like just so cool then explain the difference between log odds and probability to me in a way that suggests you actually want me to understand
November 27, 2024 at 1:33 PM
Ok if you think statistics are like just so cool then explain the difference between log odds and probability to me in a way that suggests you actually want me to understand
Not gonna lie, a lot of the stuff they talk about in statistical modeling circles kind of feels like BS to me.
November 27, 2024 at 1:30 PM
Not gonna lie, a lot of the stuff they talk about in statistical modeling circles kind of feels like BS to me.
What is an example of something that one shouldn’t even try to measure that nevertheless they tried to measure?
November 27, 2024 at 12:44 PM
What is an example of something that one shouldn’t even try to measure that nevertheless they tried to measure?
Apparently 20 million people are on Blue Sky now. Over time I’d like to connect with other Scholars of Religion, plus Philosophers, Logicians, Coders, Hackers, Data Analysts, Journalists, Pollsters, Consultants, and Comedians. Accepting suggestions … and I follow back! (No assholes though)
November 21, 2024 at 1:38 PM
Apparently 20 million people are on Blue Sky now. Over time I’d like to connect with other Scholars of Religion, plus Philosophers, Logicians, Coders, Hackers, Data Analysts, Journalists, Pollsters, Consultants, and Comedians. Accepting suggestions … and I follow back! (No assholes though)
“It is not generally permitted to an Author to prescribe the mode in which his production shall be judged; but there are two conditions which I may venture to require of those who shall undertake to estimate the merits of this performance.” 1/4
November 20, 2024 at 1:41 PM
“It is not generally permitted to an Author to prescribe the mode in which his production shall be judged; but there are two conditions which I may venture to require of those who shall undertake to estimate the merits of this performance.” 1/4
Reposted by Matt Baldwin
Someone on twitter claimed Bluesky had a 24-7 faculty meeting vibe. I came here for the pedantry and performative outrage. Where is it!?!?!
November 17, 2024 at 2:56 PM
Someone on twitter claimed Bluesky had a 24-7 faculty meeting vibe. I came here for the pedantry and performative outrage. Where is it!?!?!