Nate Ledbetter
@nhledbetter.bsky.social
ABD, Princeton, East Asian Studies. Instructor, Asian History, Rider University. Perpetually writing my dissertation (warfare in 16th C. Kyushu, Japan). He/Him/あいつ/"That Nagashino Guy." At some point I'll start posting useful stuff here. Maybe.
Doing a google image search for "mongols" as I'm putting together slides for tomorrow's lecture and came across whatever this AI monstrosity is supposed to be and everything is awful and I hate it.
November 18, 2025 at 10:54 PM
Doing a google image search for "mongols" as I'm putting together slides for tomorrow's lecture and came across whatever this AI monstrosity is supposed to be and everything is awful and I hate it.
WHY HASN'T ANYONE THOUGHT OF THIS BEFORE?!?!?!
![From Sawyer's translation of the 孫子兵法 in the Seven Military Classics of China, p. 185, from Ch 13 "Employing Spies"
"Thus there are five types of spies to be employed: local spy, internal spy, turned spy [double agent], dead [expendable] spy, and the living spy. When all five are employed together and no one knows their Tao, this is termed "spiritual methodology." They are a ruler's treasures.
"Local spies--employ people from the local district."
"Internal spies--employ people who hold government positions.
"Double agents--employ the enemy's spies
"Expendable spies--are employed to spread disinformation outside the state. Provide our [expendable] spies [with false information] and have them leak it to enemy agents.
"Living spies--return with their reports.
"Thus of all the Three Armies' affairs, no relationship is closer than that with spies; no rewards are more generous than those given to spies; no affairs are more secret than those pertaining to spies."](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:7wyymajb25e6oasujni4gwgj/bafkreieifs5gghu44hq3bpn3i56ncu4w3jxgumdvvcxattebbdnl3mw6t4@jpeg)
November 18, 2025 at 7:18 PM
WHY HASN'T ANYONE THOUGHT OF THIS BEFORE?!?!?!
Really, World History textbook? Really?
November 17, 2025 at 5:06 AM
Really, World History textbook? Really?
Perfect album from the year I turned 16; released 2 days before my birthday, even.
November 17, 2025 at 3:52 AM
Perfect album from the year I turned 16; released 2 days before my birthday, even.
Here's the prompt. The student is going off-script by injecting Oshio and Nariaki, but I'm flexible if they make it entertaining.
November 8, 2025 at 6:31 PM
Here's the prompt. The student is going off-script by injecting Oshio and Nariaki, but I'm flexible if they make it entertaining.
Couldn't even begin to describe this myself, so just giving you the first paragraph of an essay from a student. Sometimes this is entertaining in ways I never expect.
November 8, 2025 at 6:24 PM
Couldn't even begin to describe this myself, so just giving you the first paragraph of an essay from a student. Sometimes this is entertaining in ways I never expect.
Post you from a different era
2 for 1: Me as a youngin with my grandfather, and then my grandfather swearing me in as a US Army officer the weekend of my college graduation. Yes, I did at one point have hair (though I started shaving the dome just a few years after the 2nd photo)
2 for 1: Me as a youngin with my grandfather, and then my grandfather swearing me in as a US Army officer the weekend of my college graduation. Yes, I did at one point have hair (though I started shaving the dome just a few years after the 2nd photo)
November 8, 2025 at 1:41 AM
Post you from a different era
2 for 1: Me as a youngin with my grandfather, and then my grandfather swearing me in as a US Army officer the weekend of my college graduation. Yes, I did at one point have hair (though I started shaving the dome just a few years after the 2nd photo)
2 for 1: Me as a youngin with my grandfather, and then my grandfather swearing me in as a US Army officer the weekend of my college graduation. Yes, I did at one point have hair (though I started shaving the dome just a few years after the 2nd photo)
On the one hand, I do not at all need to hear how bad this song is.
But I did find this funny:
But I did find this funny:
November 7, 2025 at 12:10 AM
On the one hand, I do not at all need to hear how bad this song is.
But I did find this funny:
But I did find this funny:
New instablock just dropped
November 5, 2025 at 6:19 AM
New instablock just dropped
Lynchburg, VA--home of Liberty "University"--is currently 59% blue for Lt. Governor candidate *checks notes* Ghazala Hashmi.
@jasonkirk.fyi
@jasonkirk.fyi
November 5, 2025 at 1:31 AM
Lynchburg, VA--home of Liberty "University"--is currently 59% blue for Lt. Governor candidate *checks notes* Ghazala Hashmi.
@jasonkirk.fyi
@jasonkirk.fyi
"Modernity" is a myth and Modernization Theory is responsible for so many harmful wrongs.
October 28, 2025 at 4:42 PM
"Modernity" is a myth and Modernization Theory is responsible for so many harmful wrongs.
"Was brought to my by a waitress in a cat costume. So...yeah."
(spelling error included for accuracy)
(spelling error included for accuracy)
October 27, 2025 at 12:38 AM
"Was brought to my by a waitress in a cat costume. So...yeah."
(spelling error included for accuracy)
(spelling error included for accuracy)
A Brit with a bad Che Guevara pun as an ID. Definitely who you should take your advice from about how to protest in *checks notes* a US protest that will have millions of participants.
October 17, 2025 at 5:18 PM
A Brit with a bad Che Guevara pun as an ID. Definitely who you should take your advice from about how to protest in *checks notes* a US protest that will have millions of participants.
I was married but I'm not married any more. Women don't like the vehicle.
October 16, 2025 at 3:08 PM
I was married but I'm not married any more. Women don't like the vehicle.
For reference, here's the preceding paragraph.
"The new ideologies had a softening, moralizing influence on strong monarchy and empire"
Again...what?
"The new ideologies had a softening, moralizing influence on strong monarchy and empire"
Again...what?
October 12, 2025 at 10:13 PM
For reference, here's the preceding paragraph.
"The new ideologies had a softening, moralizing influence on strong monarchy and empire"
Again...what?
"The new ideologies had a softening, moralizing influence on strong monarchy and empire"
Again...what?
*stares in historian of warfare*
Um...what?
Um...what?
October 12, 2025 at 10:04 PM
*stares in historian of warfare*
Um...what?
Um...what?
Lesson: FB comments are the worst source of info ever. (all of which pointed to McGuire admin area, and degenerated into useless arguing over whether the lockdown was fake, over, or who knows what).
September 30, 2025 at 3:59 PM
Lesson: FB comments are the worst source of info ever. (all of which pointed to McGuire admin area, and degenerated into useless arguing over whether the lockdown was fake, over, or who knows what).
Meanwhile, while Hegseth is ranting, there's a possible active shooter event at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst here in NJ. Nothing confirmed, but will update if I see anything specific.
September 30, 2025 at 3:16 PM
Meanwhile, while Hegseth is ranting, there's a possible active shooter event at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst here in NJ. Nothing confirmed, but will update if I see anything specific.
The 5 voters who voted Penn State #1 the morning after they lost to Oregon need to be named and shamed.
September 28, 2025 at 8:05 PM
The 5 voters who voted Penn State #1 the morning after they lost to Oregon need to be named and shamed.