Ted McCormick
@tedmccormick.bsky.social
Historian of scientific, economic and colonial projects in early modern Britain, Ireland, and the Atlantic; books http://bit.ly/3HYwNiA & http://bit.ly/3rKdAvt; http://memoriousblog.com; views mine; he/him. Montrealer in Philly, except when I’m in Montreal
Pinned
Why I am not using AI in the classroom
Last week I spoke with some of my colleagues about the “challenges” posed by generative AI to our teaching. As anyone who follows me on Bluesky — or followed me on Twitter, prior …
memoriousblog.com
tl;dr
1. Studies of genAI in the classroom show that it harms learning
2. The quality of AI-generated text is irrelevant to its most negative effects on teaching
3. The way AI has entered the classroom is as a money-making project extracting new labour, not a “tool” serving teachers’ actual needs
1. Studies of genAI in the classroom show that it harms learning
2. The quality of AI-generated text is irrelevant to its most negative effects on teaching
3. The way AI has entered the classroom is as a money-making project extracting new labour, not a “tool” serving teachers’ actual needs
genuine question: how many young republicans know he used to be in movies
tonight is the Turning Point USA event at UC Berkeley with special guest speaker Rob Schneider, a sentence I still can't believe I didn't make up
November 11, 2025 at 2:03 AM
genuine question: how many young republicans know he used to be in movies
Dear NACBS-bound friends:
It is my sad duty to inform you, etc, etc
It is my sad duty to inform you, etc, etc
November 11, 2025 at 1:51 AM
Dear NACBS-bound friends:
It is my sad duty to inform you, etc, etc
It is my sad duty to inform you, etc, etc
it is not a moral imperative to let a salesman excite you
November 11, 2025 at 12:48 AM
it is not a moral imperative to let a salesman excite you
some evopsych type must have theorized the evolution of a biological American political class by now
Christine Pelosi, daughter of Nancy Pelosi, has announced she’s running for the California State Senate.
November 10, 2025 at 8:52 PM
some evopsych type must have theorized the evolution of a biological American political class by now
Senate Dems: if they fool us again, the American People will know who fooled us
November 10, 2025 at 2:21 PM
Senate Dems: if they fool us again, the American People will know who fooled us
"it's a tool"
November 10, 2025 at 3:12 AM
"it's a tool"
“Aha! So you admit the coached suicides are only *extreme* cases!”
I honestly don’t get the value of this company. They hoover up energy and water. Their product constantly gets things wrong and, in extreme cases, coaches people into suicide.
And it’s all built on what seems to be malicious and vast intellectual property theft.
What does OpenAI offer the world?
And it’s all built on what seems to be malicious and vast intellectual property theft.
What does OpenAI offer the world?
“authors & publishers who filed a lawsuit against the Sam Altman-led firm have secured access to internal Slack messages… discussing the mass deletion of a pirated books dataset… A NY district court ordered OpenAI to hand over the communications regarding data deletion”
futurism.com/artificial-i...
futurism.com/artificial-i...
November 9, 2025 at 10:21 PM
“Aha! So you admit the coached suicides are only *extreme* cases!”
do you believe in democracy or do you miss Dad and Nintendo 64
November 9, 2025 at 8:38 PM
do you believe in democracy or do you miss Dad and Nintendo 64
Reposted by Ted McCormick
from the morning’s NPR listening, I note that a prominent GOPer can be quoted describing himself as belonging to “the ‘Hitler sucks’ wing” of his party and the ostensible story is that he thinks Hitler sucks rather than that that’s now just a wing
November 9, 2025 at 7:59 PM
from the morning’s NPR listening, I note that a prominent GOPer can be quoted describing himself as belonging to “the ‘Hitler sucks’ wing” of his party and the ostensible story is that he thinks Hitler sucks rather than that that’s now just a wing
Who will speak for the merely oppression-curious
November 8, 2025 at 8:53 PM
Who will speak for the merely oppression-curious
Reposted by Ted McCormick
Captive Cosmopolitans: Black Mariners and the World of South Atlantic Slavery
by @maryhicks.bsky.social
newbooksnetwork.com/captive-cosm...
Absolutely fascinating (and upsetting) - an award winning book
by @maryhicks.bsky.social
newbooksnetwork.com/captive-cosm...
Absolutely fascinating (and upsetting) - an award winning book
Mary E. Hicks, "Captive Cosmopolitans: Black Mariners and the World of South Atlantic Slavery" (Omohundro Institute and UNC Press, 2025) - New Books Network
newbooksnetwork.com
October 26, 2025 at 11:34 PM
Captive Cosmopolitans: Black Mariners and the World of South Atlantic Slavery
by @maryhicks.bsky.social
newbooksnetwork.com/captive-cosm...
Absolutely fascinating (and upsetting) - an award winning book
by @maryhicks.bsky.social
newbooksnetwork.com/captive-cosm...
Absolutely fascinating (and upsetting) - an award winning book
This is the week AI became presidential
This shallow essay argues that AI will become "conscious" when ppl succumb to the ELIZA effect: a known vulnerability since the 60s. Montero makes uninformed public views the gold standard in benchmarking tech.
In 2023, Judy Estrin called "AI" authoritarian intelligence. This completes the recipe.
In 2023, Judy Estrin called "AI" authoritarian intelligence. This completes the recipe.
November 8, 2025 at 1:35 PM
This is the week AI became presidential
This looks bad now, but it’ll look even worse later
Breaking News: Cornell University reached an agreement with the Trump administration that would restore hundreds of millions in funding to the university. It's expected to pay a $30 million fine to the government and to invest $30 million in agriculture and farming programs.
Cornell Reaches Deal with Trump Administration to Restore Research Funds
The Ivy League university had warned of layoffs after the Trump administration stripped it of funds this year. The cuts were among the deepest in higher education.
nyti.ms
November 8, 2025 at 1:28 PM
This looks bad now, but it’ll look even worse later
Reposted by Ted McCormick
Good to know that Samar, My Lai and Abu Ghraib were all *departures* from the American way of making war.
Some weapons-grade US exceptionalism (i.e. acute historical amnesia) from Jonathan Horn here...😑
www.wsj.com/opinion/sple...
Some weapons-grade US exceptionalism (i.e. acute historical amnesia) from Jonathan Horn here...😑
www.wsj.com/opinion/sple...
November 8, 2025 at 1:26 PM
Good to know that Samar, My Lai and Abu Ghraib were all *departures* from the American way of making war.
Some weapons-grade US exceptionalism (i.e. acute historical amnesia) from Jonathan Horn here...😑
www.wsj.com/opinion/sple...
Some weapons-grade US exceptionalism (i.e. acute historical amnesia) from Jonathan Horn here...😑
www.wsj.com/opinion/sple...
These guys and their fans only know how to break things. They can break a lot of things before enough people care enough to stop them, but that will happen eventually
Chris Rufo/Ron DeSantis overhauled New College and made it "the most financially inefficient school in the university system"
Degree yield is 19%, 2nd-worst in Fla.
Operating funds per student at New College: $83,207
Same category at Univ of Florida: $45,765
www.heraldtribune.com/story/news/e...
Degree yield is 19%, 2nd-worst in Fla.
Operating funds per student at New College: $83,207
Same category at Univ of Florida: $45,765
www.heraldtribune.com/story/news/e...
New College of Florida shows soaring expenses as state targets 'woke waste'
A report by Florida DOGE found that Sarasota's New College is the most financially inefficient school in the university system.
www.heraldtribune.com
November 7, 2025 at 12:48 PM
These guys and their fans only know how to break things. They can break a lot of things before enough people care enough to stop them, but that will happen eventually
Reposted by Ted McCormick
Chris Rufo/Ron DeSantis overhauled New College and made it "the most financially inefficient school in the university system"
Degree yield is 19%, 2nd-worst in Fla.
Operating funds per student at New College: $83,207
Same category at Univ of Florida: $45,765
www.heraldtribune.com/story/news/e...
Degree yield is 19%, 2nd-worst in Fla.
Operating funds per student at New College: $83,207
Same category at Univ of Florida: $45,765
www.heraldtribune.com/story/news/e...
New College of Florida shows soaring expenses as state targets 'woke waste'
A report by Florida DOGE found that Sarasota's New College is the most financially inefficient school in the university system.
www.heraldtribune.com
November 7, 2025 at 12:32 PM
Chris Rufo/Ron DeSantis overhauled New College and made it "the most financially inefficient school in the university system"
Degree yield is 19%, 2nd-worst in Fla.
Operating funds per student at New College: $83,207
Same category at Univ of Florida: $45,765
www.heraldtribune.com/story/news/e...
Degree yield is 19%, 2nd-worst in Fla.
Operating funds per student at New College: $83,207
Same category at Univ of Florida: $45,765
www.heraldtribune.com/story/news/e...
Reposted by Ted McCormick
"Fascism and AI, whether or not they have the same goals, they sure are working to accelerate one another."
🗣️📢
www.404media.co/ai-is-superc...
🗣️📢
www.404media.co/ai-is-superc...
AI Is Supercharging the War on Libraries, Education, and Human Knowledge
"Fascism and AI, whether or not they have the same goals, they sure are working to accelerate one another."
www.404media.co
November 6, 2025 at 6:12 PM
"Fascism and AI, whether or not they have the same goals, they sure are working to accelerate one another."
🗣️📢
www.404media.co/ai-is-superc...
🗣️📢
www.404media.co/ai-is-superc...
I’ve heard it described as a sandwich, a hoagie, and a sub. But it sounds like a hero to me
Big day at U.S. District Court in D.C. where Sean Dunn, the D.C. Sandwich Guy, is on trial for misdemeanor assault of a federal officer.
Border Patrol agent Gregory Lairmore is on the stand narrating surveillance video of the sammie toss.
'Now he’s struck me with the sandwich,' Lairmore says.
Border Patrol agent Gregory Lairmore is on the stand narrating surveillance video of the sammie toss.
'Now he’s struck me with the sandwich,' Lairmore says.
November 4, 2025 at 5:24 PM
I’ve heard it described as a sandwich, a hoagie, and a sub. But it sounds like a hero to me
glad NPR is there to assure me that whatever people may think of Dick Cheney’s legacy, he did not die young
November 4, 2025 at 1:37 PM
glad NPR is there to assure me that whatever people may think of Dick Cheney’s legacy, he did not die young
“there’s no Bernie Sanders of free-market healthcare” may be the funniest lament I hear all day, and I have seen the Dick Cheney news
November 4, 2025 at 1:27 PM
“there’s no Bernie Sanders of free-market healthcare” may be the funniest lament I hear all day, and I have seen the Dick Cheney news
“Facebook friend who is a self-appointed Dem strategist for several months every two years” is a pronounced personality type and I don’t love it
November 3, 2025 at 11:19 PM
“Facebook friend who is a self-appointed Dem strategist for several months every two years” is a pronounced personality type and I don’t love it
shorn of context this could be any job concerned with creating or communicating meaning above the level of merest “content”
This, like many other jobs, is seen as some sort of noble vocation, where its practitioners do it for the community, or because the profession seeks out truth, and therefore payment is an afterthought
We are tradespeople in a dying trade, fighting for scraps while still trying to do the job
We are tradespeople in a dying trade, fighting for scraps while still trying to do the job
November 3, 2025 at 11:17 PM
shorn of context this could be any job concerned with creating or communicating meaning above the level of merest “content”
In the US in 2025, “Should politics affect relationships?” is a gutless, poorly veiled way of asking “Should disagreements about which kinds of people should count as human affect relationships?”, which is a question that only someone trying to limit the kinds of people who count as human would ask.
November 3, 2025 at 2:31 PM
In the US in 2025, “Should politics affect relationships?” is a gutless, poorly veiled way of asking “Should disagreements about which kinds of people should count as human affect relationships?”, which is a question that only someone trying to limit the kinds of people who count as human would ask.