Ryan Cordell
@ryancordell.org
he/him—textual technologies enthusiast—Associate Professor at UIUC's School of Information Sciences & Department of English—co-director of the Viral Texts Project (viraltexts.org) & Director @skeuomorphpress.org —also https://theanxiousbench.bandcamp.com
As always seems to be true @skeuomorphpress.org, the most recent tech is hardest to maintain
We love this 90s-era Brother typewriter—it’s lightweight, super portable, clear impression—but its ink comes in proprietary cartridges that are just gone—ribbon is easy to find for our older machines
We love this 90s-era Brother typewriter—it’s lightweight, super portable, clear impression—but its ink comes in proprietary cartridges that are just gone—ribbon is easy to find for our older machines
November 10, 2025 at 4:07 PM
As always seems to be true @skeuomorphpress.org, the most recent tech is hardest to maintain
We love this 90s-era Brother typewriter—it’s lightweight, super portable, clear impression—but its ink comes in proprietary cartridges that are just gone—ribbon is easy to find for our older machines
We love this 90s-era Brother typewriter—it’s lightweight, super portable, clear impression—but its ink comes in proprietary cartridges that are just gone—ribbon is easy to find for our older machines
If Democratic Senate leaders were coaching the Chargers in this game
“Welp looks like we’d better forfeit.“
“Welp looks like we’d better forfeit.“
November 10, 2025 at 4:11 AM
If Democratic Senate leaders were coaching the Chargers in this game
“Welp looks like we’d better forfeit.“
“Welp looks like we’d better forfeit.“
Back in the binding circle @skeuomorphpress.org finishing the Le Guin books. Will be finally mailing them next week!
November 7, 2025 at 10:25 PM
Back in the binding circle @skeuomorphpress.org finishing the Le Guin books. Will be finally mailing them next week!
My UIUC job talk back in 2021 literally included this slide about the interface I hoped to build for browsing Viral Texts data & it’s actually on the horizon!
November 7, 2025 at 5:00 PM
My UIUC job talk back in 2021 literally included this slide about the interface I hoped to build for browsing Viral Texts data & it’s actually on the horizon!
It’s very much a prototype but I have to share a preview of the interface @djevans.bsky.social is working on for our Viral Texts data—it maps reprinting data back onto the newspaper page, allowing users to browse what reprints appeared together on each page—with links back to full reprint clusters
November 7, 2025 at 4:49 PM
It’s very much a prototype but I have to share a preview of the interface @djevans.bsky.social is working on for our Viral Texts data—it maps reprinting data back onto the newspaper page, allowing users to browse what reprints appeared together on each page—with links back to full reprint clusters
Seems like every week I walk in to find new messaging from our local Luddite Society drying on the racks @skeuomorphpress.org
November 6, 2025 at 2:48 PM
Seems like every week I walk in to find new messaging from our local Luddite Society drying on the racks @skeuomorphpress.org
Listen I don’t care that it’s almost Halloween, that is an ominous fucking thing to find when you open the bathroom door by your office
October 29, 2025 at 7:55 PM
Listen I don’t care that it’s almost Halloween, that is an ominous fucking thing to find when you open the bathroom door by your office
The new Illinois Luddite Society have become regulars at @skeuomorphpress.org community hours. Their prints from last night are pretty sweet
October 28, 2025 at 3:44 PM
The new Illinois Luddite Society have become regulars at @skeuomorphpress.org community hours. Their prints from last night are pretty sweet
So…machine made, then?
October 25, 2025 at 10:00 PM
So…machine made, then?
CU holds its Pride Fair & parade in fall so that students can participate. Today is the day & Margo is feeling pride & enjoying many pets!
October 25, 2025 at 6:02 PM
CU holds its Pride Fair & parade in fall so that students can participate. Today is the day & Margo is feeling pride & enjoying many pets!
When you bought a new blender not to make delicious smoothies but to grind (also delicious?) paper pulp
October 23, 2025 at 8:41 PM
When you bought a new blender not to make delicious smoothies but to grind (also delicious?) paper pulp
Why do I love having @skeuomorphpress.org in the CU FabLab? Because when we ordered a bunch of ink tubes & weren’t sure how to store them, I realized we could just mock up nesting shelves for the ink cabinet & laser cut them from scrap wood. Have some refinement ideas already but this works!
October 23, 2025 at 3:42 PM
Why do I love having @skeuomorphpress.org in the CU FabLab? Because when we ordered a bunch of ink tubes & weren’t sure how to store them, I realized we could just mock up nesting shelves for the ink cabinet & laser cut them from scrap wood. Have some refinement ideas already but this works!
another year, another question in my mandatory state employee ethics training that seems *patently absurd* as our federal administration runs on bribes & extortion
Oh no, did I accidentally eat *vendor supplied pizza*? Next time I’ll request a private jet to ensure I’m ethically above board
Oh no, did I accidentally eat *vendor supplied pizza*? Next time I’ll request a private jet to ensure I’m ethically above board
October 22, 2025 at 4:30 PM
another year, another question in my mandatory state employee ethics training that seems *patently absurd* as our federal administration runs on bribes & extortion
Oh no, did I accidentally eat *vendor supplied pizza*? Next time I’ll request a private jet to ensure I’m ethically above board
Oh no, did I accidentally eat *vendor supplied pizza*? Next time I’ll request a private jet to ensure I’m ethically above board
seems like "space band" was another common name for them, but "space bar" is everywhere now that I’m looking for it patentimages.storage.googleapis.com/9c/60/be/bc1...
October 21, 2025 at 7:49 PM
seems like "space band" was another common name for them, but "space bar" is everywhere now that I’m looking for it patentimages.storage.googleapis.com/9c/60/be/bc1...
There’s nothing I love more than learning a material culture origin to a common word/phrase—little linguistic skeuomorphs—so just imagine my delight reading about the "tapered or wedge-shaped bars" that added spaces into linotype text
literal SPACE BARS y’all! babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=um...
literal SPACE BARS y’all! babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=um...
October 21, 2025 at 7:40 PM
There’s nothing I love more than learning a material culture origin to a common word/phrase—little linguistic skeuomorphs—so just imagine my delight reading about the "tapered or wedge-shaped bars" that added spaces into linotype text
literal SPACE BARS y’all! babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=um...
literal SPACE BARS y’all! babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=um...
Carving out a little time for research on a side project this morning & am fascinated by the 1st article on Edison’s phonograph in _Scientific American_, where the 1st use they imagine is "hear[ing] the familiar voices of the dead" as "Speech has become…immortal" babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=ch...
October 21, 2025 at 4:56 PM
Carving out a little time for research on a side project this morning & am fascinated by the 1st article on Edison’s phonograph in _Scientific American_, where the 1st use they imagine is "hear[ing] the familiar voices of the dead" as "Speech has become…immortal" babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=ch...
Spent the afternoon surveying the war zone
October 20, 2025 at 12:32 AM
Spent the afternoon surveying the war zone
This afternoon we’re hosting a good old-fashioned book binding shindig @skeuomorphpress.org
A group of students & community members will be learning to bind and then helping us stitch all these books, then get them into envelopes with labels for shipping
A group of students & community members will be learning to bind and then helping us stitch all these books, then get them into envelopes with labels for shipping
October 17, 2025 at 8:16 PM
This afternoon we’re hosting a good old-fashioned book binding shindig @skeuomorphpress.org
A group of students & community members will be learning to bind and then helping us stitch all these books, then get them into envelopes with labels for shipping
A group of students & community members will be learning to bind and then helping us stitch all these books, then get them into envelopes with labels for shipping
I was married, but I'm not married anymore. Women dont like the vehicle.
October 16, 2025 at 7:47 PM
I was married, but I'm not married anymore. Women dont like the vehicle.
Add a colon smack in the middle of the first four words in this very real filename in the folder for today’s faculty meeting & you’ve got a very spicy romance novel
Ass Director: Academic Affairs
Ass Director: Academic Affairs
October 15, 2025 at 6:30 PM
Add a colon smack in the middle of the first four words in this very real filename in the folder for today’s faculty meeting & you’ve got a very spicy romance novel
Ass Director: Academic Affairs
Ass Director: Academic Affairs
I spend so much of my time @skeuomorphpress.org that in year five at UIUC my actual office remains pretty bare. I have a virtual interview later today so I decided to remedy that by bringing the two worlds together
October 15, 2025 at 5:41 PM
I spend so much of my time @skeuomorphpress.org that in year five at UIUC my actual office remains pretty bare. I have a virtual interview later today so I decided to remedy that by bringing the two worlds together
Omg they’ve always sent lollipops in their packages but look at what was with them this time!!!! Omg
October 14, 2025 at 8:23 PM
Omg they’ve always sent lollipops in their packages but look at what was with them this time!!!! Omg
The one in which Ryan learns, only *after* placing a giant order, that his favorite ink supplier is, in the great American tradition, a Secret Jesus Shop
Seriously, I don’t want Jesus fish—or any other religious symbol!—on every tube of ink students might use at this public university!!!
Seriously, I don’t want Jesus fish—or any other religious symbol!—on every tube of ink students might use at this public university!!!
October 14, 2025 at 7:24 PM
The one in which Ryan learns, only *after* placing a giant order, that his favorite ink supplier is, in the great American tradition, a Secret Jesus Shop
Seriously, I don’t want Jesus fish—or any other religious symbol!—on every tube of ink students might use at this public university!!!
Seriously, I don’t want Jesus fish—or any other religious symbol!—on every tube of ink students might use at this public university!!!
I love the risograph-printed buttons one of @skeuomorphpress.org’s practicum students made for our tabling events this semester!
October 13, 2025 at 2:57 PM
I love the risograph-printed buttons one of @skeuomorphpress.org’s practicum students made for our tabling events this semester!