Matthew Kirschenbaum
@mkirschenbaum.bsky.social
Critical tech and AI. Cats, letterpress printing, tabletop gaming.
Distinguished University Professor at UMD; come January, Commonwealth Professor at UVA.
I am speaking only for myself and as a private citizen here. Being a dick will get you blocked.
Distinguished University Professor at UMD; come January, Commonwealth Professor at UVA.
I am speaking only for myself and as a private citizen here. Being a dick will get you blocked.
Pinned
Wanted to share here that I have accepted an endowed chair offer from my Alma mater, the University of Virginia, where (after 25 wonderful years at UMD) I will be starting in January as Commonwealth Professor of Artificial Intelligence and English.
The most beta thing I’ve ever seen.
November 10, 2025 at 2:56 PM
The most beta thing I’ve ever seen.
Reposted by Matthew Kirschenbaum
I have voted
for the deal
that was on
the Senate floor
and which
is probably
caving
to fascism
Forgive me
the flight delays were
so annoying
and so old
for the deal
that was on
the Senate floor
and which
is probably
caving
to fascism
Forgive me
the flight delays were
so annoying
and so old
November 10, 2025 at 5:25 AM
I have voted
for the deal
that was on
the Senate floor
and which
is probably
caving
to fascism
Forgive me
the flight delays were
so annoying
and so old
for the deal
that was on
the Senate floor
and which
is probably
caving
to fascism
Forgive me
the flight delays were
so annoying
and so old
At least the Dems are back in disarray.
November 10, 2025 at 1:45 PM
At least the Dems are back in disarray.
This is the headline the normies are waking up to this morning.
November 10, 2025 at 1:38 PM
This is the headline the normies are waking up to this morning.
What an ugly night.
November 10, 2025 at 5:09 AM
What an ugly night.
omg
Did ChatGPT tell the Democratic Party to kill itself??
November 10, 2025 at 4:27 AM
omg
Reposted by Matthew Kirschenbaum
There is just ninety minutes left in this fabulous sale, which ends midnight eastern. Yes, there is a lot of ugly news tonight. Perhaps curling up with "Marx for Cats" or "Necropolitics" will help. Or you could lose your self in the two volume set of Okwui Enwezor's essays, making a better world.
Today is the final day of our fall sale! Shop before 11:59 pm ET with coupon FALL25 to save 50% on books & journal issues. Outside N and S America, head to @mngupbooks.bsky.social to save on shipping.
November 10, 2025 at 3:31 AM
There is just ninety minutes left in this fabulous sale, which ends midnight eastern. Yes, there is a lot of ugly news tonight. Perhaps curling up with "Marx for Cats" or "Necropolitics" will help. Or you could lose your self in the two volume set of Okwui Enwezor's essays, making a better world.
Reposted by Matthew Kirschenbaum
if you genuinely think Schumer and Democratic leadership opposed this & Republicans coincidentally got exactly the number of votes they needed to avoid a filibuster and none of those votes are from Democratic Senators who are up for reelection in the midterms next year, I have a bridge to sell you.
November 10, 2025 at 3:05 AM
if you genuinely think Schumer and Democratic leadership opposed this & Republicans coincidentally got exactly the number of votes they needed to avoid a filibuster and none of those votes are from Democratic Senators who are up for reelection in the midterms next year, I have a bridge to sell you.
“What’s Chuck Schumer’s favorite text adventure game?”
“I don’t know, what *IS* Chuck Schumer’s favorite text adventure game?”
“Why COLOSSAL CAVE, of course!”
“I don’t know, what *IS* Chuck Schumer’s favorite text adventure game?”
“Why COLOSSAL CAVE, of course!”
November 10, 2025 at 2:02 AM
“What’s Chuck Schumer’s favorite text adventure game?”
“I don’t know, what *IS* Chuck Schumer’s favorite text adventure game?”
“Why COLOSSAL CAVE, of course!”
“I don’t know, what *IS* Chuck Schumer’s favorite text adventure game?”
“Why COLOSSAL CAVE, of course!”
Buford’s lieutenants on the eve of Gettysburg; his reply (from the movie script):
Hell, General, we can hold them all the livelong day.
He's right, sir.
At Thoroughfare Gap, you held against Longstreet.
You held for six hours.
“They never came. We held for nothing.”
Hell, General, we can hold them all the livelong day.
He's right, sir.
At Thoroughfare Gap, you held against Longstreet.
You held for six hours.
“They never came. We held for nothing.”
November 10, 2025 at 1:22 AM
Buford’s lieutenants on the eve of Gettysburg; his reply (from the movie script):
Hell, General, we can hold them all the livelong day.
He's right, sir.
At Thoroughfare Gap, you held against Longstreet.
You held for six hours.
“They never came. We held for nothing.”
Hell, General, we can hold them all the livelong day.
He's right, sir.
At Thoroughfare Gap, you held against Longstreet.
You held for six hours.
“They never came. We held for nothing.”
Reposted by Matthew Kirschenbaum
HOW IS IT EVEN POSSIBLE TO FUCK UP THIS BADLY
“People are blaming republicans for food prices and flight cancellations and health insurance costs and are furious about gilded ballrooms and Gatsby parties and the president is falling asleep on tv and is the most deeply unpopular president in history, time to cave” is a hell of an argument
November 9, 2025 at 11:53 PM
HOW IS IT EVEN POSSIBLE TO FUCK UP THIS BADLY
Just called both my Senators.
November 9, 2025 at 10:57 PM
Just called both my Senators.
👇
if the dems cave now with nothing to show for it then all of the misery the shutdown has caused instantly becomes all their fault as it achieved nothing
November 9, 2025 at 9:32 PM
👇
Money quote from Gov-Elect Spanberger (now please just do it).
November 9, 2025 at 7:53 PM
Money quote from Gov-Elect Spanberger (now please just do it).
There is always money for the consultants. No matter how much “austerity.” Always always always.
"Outsourcing our flagship state university’s future to drop-in budget consultants is not the way forward" -- Jeffrey Dudas, President of UConn AAUP @uconnaaup.bsky.social
Opinion: UConn's administration should consult its own experts
Genuine collaboration and shared governance - not outside consultants - should guide the decisions of a major university.
ctmirror.org
November 9, 2025 at 5:58 PM
There is always money for the consultants. No matter how much “austerity.” Always always always.
Reposted by Matthew Kirschenbaum
🚨🚨 Texas A&M Board of Regents is meeting next week and set to approve a new policy requiring pre-approval of courses on race and gender. This is a blatant violation of academic freedom.
November 8, 2025 at 8:06 PM
🚨🚨 Texas A&M Board of Regents is meeting next week and set to approve a new policy requiring pre-approval of courses on race and gender. This is a blatant violation of academic freedom.
I’m sure this was extremely common knowledge to everyone except me, but Curtis Sliwa lives in a 380 square-foot apartment with his partner and 18 cats.
youtu.be/blkCy52KUBE?...
youtu.be/blkCy52KUBE?...
Inside Curtis Sliwa’s Tiny Apartment Full of Cats
YouTube video by Todd Bieber
youtu.be
November 9, 2025 at 3:05 PM
I’m sure this was extremely common knowledge to everyone except me, but Curtis Sliwa lives in a 380 square-foot apartment with his partner and 18 cats.
youtu.be/blkCy52KUBE?...
youtu.be/blkCy52KUBE?...
Reposted by Matthew Kirschenbaum
genuinely embarrassing to see the contemporary WaPo Editorial Board
November 8, 2025 at 6:27 PM
genuinely embarrassing to see the contemporary WaPo Editorial Board
Good morning.
November 8, 2025 at 5:24 PM
Good morning.
It is indeed a banger. There was so much . . . possibility it felt like then.
Interesting that none of the past few years’ discussions of close reading really circled back to this banger: raley.english.ucsb.edu/wp-content/E...
raley.english.ucsb.edu
November 8, 2025 at 4:12 AM
It is indeed a banger. There was so much . . . possibility it felt like then.
Reposted by Matthew Kirschenbaum
ChatGPT is doing everything 80s parents thought heavy metal and D&D did and I wish this was hyperbole
Panera’s moderately caffeinated lemonade was loosely associated with 2 deaths before it was taken off market.
This article alone has 4 examples of ChatGPT encouraging young people to commit suicide, and OpenAI’s own public stats estimate over a million users discuss suicide with ChatGPT each week.
This article alone has 4 examples of ChatGPT encouraging young people to commit suicide, and OpenAI’s own public stats estimate over a million users discuss suicide with ChatGPT each week.
I fully believe in the corporate death penalty and believe we would be a better world if OpenAI lost its corporate charter and was forcibly dissolved.
www.cnn.com/2025/11/06/u...
www.cnn.com/2025/11/06/u...
November 8, 2025 at 1:44 AM
ChatGPT is doing everything 80s parents thought heavy metal and D&D did and I wish this was hyperbole
Reposted by Matthew Kirschenbaum
There are now more Democratic women in Virginia’s House than Republicans — total.
VA has come a longgg way!
VA has come a longgg way!
November 8, 2025 at 1:48 AM
There are now more Democratic women in Virginia’s House than Republicans — total.
VA has come a longgg way!
VA has come a longgg way!
Just sit with this subhead for a moment.
November 8, 2025 at 1:15 AM
Just sit with this subhead for a moment.
As it happens, the text I’m starting my grad seminar with next semester.
Capek, having witnessed the senseless Great War, wrote R.U.R., about a global corporation run by a small group of men--all driven by a mechanistic ideology & convinced machines would solve world problems. The play ends in catastrophe. NB: It wasn’t meant to be a how-to-manual for the 21st century.
November 7, 2025 at 9:55 PM
As it happens, the text I’m starting my grad seminar with next semester.