Paul Collins
@paulcollins.bsky.social
Author, Professor of English at PSU, bewildered radio guest.
Personal account.
www.pdx.edu/english/profile/paul-collins
Personal account.
www.pdx.edu/english/profile/paul-collins
Coming this December:
November 10, 2025 at 12:55 AM
Coming this December:
Why not put your money in a bank that can’t form a coherent sentence and spells Genius with a J
November 8, 2025 at 3:26 AM
Why not put your money in a bank that can’t form a coherent sentence and spells Genius with a J
Perfect sequel to the primary, no notes.
November 7, 2025 at 4:58 PM
Perfect sequel to the primary, no notes.
Top notch work by a neighbor in fitting up their tree-skeleton with scrubs.
October 27, 2025 at 12:07 AM
Top notch work by a neighbor in fitting up their tree-skeleton with scrubs.
Might be worth noting that the DoD cannot just accept giant gifts from any random schmuck.
October 24, 2025 at 8:35 PM
Might be worth noting that the DoD cannot just accept giant gifts from any random schmuck.
Downloads of my old dissertation are usually a few dozen fellow nerds a month. Suddenly the library's showing many hundreds monthly. Ok, I figured: bots, AI, whatever.
But the domain they're purporting to come from? Arthur Andersen, an accounting co that croaked in 2002 after the Enron scandal. 🤔
But the domain they're purporting to come from? Arthur Andersen, an accounting co that croaked in 2002 after the Enron scandal. 🤔
October 18, 2025 at 4:51 PM
Downloads of my old dissertation are usually a few dozen fellow nerds a month. Suddenly the library's showing many hundreds monthly. Ok, I figured: bots, AI, whatever.
But the domain they're purporting to come from? Arthur Andersen, an accounting co that croaked in 2002 after the Enron scandal. 🤔
But the domain they're purporting to come from? Arthur Andersen, an accounting co that croaked in 2002 after the Enron scandal. 🤔
To get a sense of just how long ago that was: the next page's ad was for Infocom, a company selling the text-based adventure game "Zork III" on 5 1/4" floppy disks.
October 17, 2025 at 5:29 PM
To get a sense of just how long ago that was: the next page's ad was for Infocom, a company selling the text-based adventure game "Zork III" on 5 1/4" floppy disks.
Huh, here's a cartoon on global warming induced sea rise that ran in January.... [squints].... of 1984.
October 17, 2025 at 5:25 PM
Huh, here's a cartoon on global warming induced sea rise that ran in January.... [squints].... of 1984.
Fascinating bit about a 1905 George Melies film, in Anthony Lane's recent piece on film restoration. Strange to realize that "Captain Alex" and MST3K might hearken back to some of the earliest forms of cinema.
www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...
www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...
October 11, 2025 at 5:39 PM
Fascinating bit about a 1905 George Melies film, in Anthony Lane's recent piece on film restoration. Strange to realize that "Captain Alex" and MST3K might hearken back to some of the earliest forms of cinema.
www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...
www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...
Of all ethics cases, this is truly the most Philadelphian
September 9, 2025 at 7:48 PM
Of all ethics cases, this is truly the most Philadelphian
The rest of us can give up now, somebody already got the best book title & subtitle:
September 8, 2025 at 1:23 AM
The rest of us can give up now, somebody already got the best book title & subtitle:
Going through the attic & found this reminder of when all ads and packaging invoked inflation.
September 5, 2025 at 12:58 AM
Going through the attic & found this reminder of when all ads and packaging invoked inflation.
![Screen shot of the beginning of the Wikipedia entry for "Pseudo-Nero," which reads:
After the emperor Nero committed suicide near the villa of his freedman Phaon in June of 68 AD, various Nero impostors appeared between the autumn of 69 AD and the reign of the emperor Domitian.[1] Most scholars set the number of Nero impostors to two or three, although St. Augustine wrote of the popularity of the belief that Nero would return in his day, known as the Nero Redivivus legend. In addition to the three documented Pseudo-Neros, Suetonius refers to imperial edicts forged in the dead Nero's name that encouraged his followers and promised his imminent return to avenge himself on his enemies.[3]
Due to the short-lived success of the Nero impostors and Nero's incorporation into eschatological literature, the belief in Nero's imminent return lasted for centuries.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:szszhxvp46zm3f5bqe4eye73/bafkreif73ghn3a7pyig3g6fzd4occsftxf3golmnzhhrrergermhvjekku@jpeg)
Pretty sure I know the right library for it:
August 31, 2025 at 5:47 PM
Pretty sure I know the right library for it:
It just makes me happy that someone designed this: a turn of the century Huntley & Palmers biscuit tin made to look like a set of leatherbound books, right down to the marbled edges.
August 31, 2025 at 5:42 PM
It just makes me happy that someone designed this: a turn of the century Huntley & Palmers biscuit tin made to look like a set of leatherbound books, right down to the marbled edges.
Honestly, surprised it took them this long.
August 22, 2025 at 4:00 PM
Honestly, surprised it took them this long.
College students are vital as a party's future voters & deep bench. But my first Google hit for students & Democratic party is to a dead DNC page.
The DNC quietly stripped College Democrats from their site early March 2024. And individual College Democrat chapters often have inactive sites. (2/5)
The DNC quietly stripped College Democrats from their site early March 2024. And individual College Democrat chapters often have inactive sites. (2/5)
August 4, 2025 at 4:24 PM
College students are vital as a party's future voters & deep bench. But my first Google hit for students & Democratic party is to a dead DNC page.
The DNC quietly stripped College Democrats from their site early March 2024. And individual College Democrat chapters often have inactive sites. (2/5)
The DNC quietly stripped College Democrats from their site early March 2024. And individual College Democrat chapters often have inactive sites. (2/5)
I love that this sheet music from 1973 illustrates Space Rock with a rock in, you know, space.
July 27, 2025 at 12:56 AM
I love that this sheet music from 1973 illustrates Space Rock with a rock in, you know, space.
Their suit is because Columbia U sells stuff w/o the university insignia.
Anyway, here's a Columbia U shirt w/o the insignia in a 1995 Princeton Alumni Weekly ad, incredible how Columbia Sportswear has survived 30+ years of a trying situation that has definitely confused actual human people
Anyway, here's a Columbia U shirt w/o the insignia in a 1995 Princeton Alumni Weekly ad, incredible how Columbia Sportswear has survived 30+ years of a trying situation that has definitely confused actual human people
July 24, 2025 at 1:32 AM
Their suit is because Columbia U sells stuff w/o the university insignia.
Anyway, here's a Columbia U shirt w/o the insignia in a 1995 Princeton Alumni Weekly ad, incredible how Columbia Sportswear has survived 30+ years of a trying situation that has definitely confused actual human people
Anyway, here's a Columbia U shirt w/o the insignia in a 1995 Princeton Alumni Weekly ad, incredible how Columbia Sportswear has survived 30+ years of a trying situation that has definitely confused actual human people
An unsurprising but dismal graph from today’s WSJ of median US home prices.
If home costs had progressed at the rate of inflation since 2000, the median home would be $275.3k. It’s now at $435.3k.
If home costs had progressed at the rate of inflation since 2000, the median home would be $275.3k. It’s now at $435.3k.
July 23, 2025 at 8:15 PM
An unsurprising but dismal graph from today’s WSJ of median US home prices.
If home costs had progressed at the rate of inflation since 2000, the median home would be $275.3k. It’s now at $435.3k.
If home costs had progressed at the rate of inflation since 2000, the median home would be $275.3k. It’s now at $435.3k.
When Gen Xers get a boat
July 7, 2025 at 7:41 PM
When Gen Xers get a boat
"Etaoin shrdlu" & its variants were inserted by Linotype operators running their fingers down the keys. (They didn't use a QWERTY keyboard.) If they forgot to replace it, the result was glorious nonsense running in the paper.
Here's a 1929 NY Times ad that should have you smelling toast: (2/3)
Here's a 1929 NY Times ad that should have you smelling toast: (2/3)
June 21, 2025 at 4:02 PM
"Etaoin shrdlu" & its variants were inserted by Linotype operators running their fingers down the keys. (They didn't use a QWERTY keyboard.) If they forgot to replace it, the result was glorious nonsense running in the paper.
Here's a 1929 NY Times ad that should have you smelling toast: (2/3)
Here's a 1929 NY Times ad that should have you smelling toast: (2/3)
Sometimes when going through old newspapers I'm reminded of just how *very* local they used to be.
June 18, 2025 at 5:12 PM
Sometimes when going through old newspapers I'm reminded of just how *very* local they used to be.
The receipts, from budgetmodel.wharton.upenn.edu/issues/2022/...
June 18, 2025 at 4:18 AM
The receipts, from budgetmodel.wharton.upenn.edu/issues/2022/...
I love that this Ladybird Book of Musical Instruments from 1966 appears to illustrate the principles of both wind instruments and day-drinking
June 17, 2025 at 7:33 PM
I love that this Ladybird Book of Musical Instruments from 1966 appears to illustrate the principles of both wind instruments and day-drinking