J. Arendt
@uwwoman.bsky.social
RVA librarian working at a local university and riding my bike there
https://my-year-of.ghost.io/ is the home of my blog / newsletter.
https://my-year-of.ghost.io/ is the home of my blog / newsletter.
Who was the smart aleck who put it on World Toilet Day?
November 19, 2025 at 5:44 PM
Who was the smart aleck who put it on World Toilet Day?
For the handful of archivists who follow me, minutes 7-19 are complaints about archival work not being done, if you want to hear your work appreciated in the wild, with the word "dusty" never uttered.
We talk the terrible format of the latest Epstein dump; how a contractor is hiring randos on LinkedIn to physically track immigrants for $300; and a new code of conduct in the adult industry.
Podcast: The Epstein Email Dump Is a Mess
We talk the terrible format of the latest Epstein dump; how a contractor is hiring randos on LinkedIn to physically track immigrants for $300; and a new code of conduct in the adult industry.
www.404media.co
November 19, 2025 at 2:41 PM
For the handful of archivists who follow me, minutes 7-19 are complaints about archival work not being done, if you want to hear your work appreciated in the wild, with the word "dusty" never uttered.
As nice as this sounds, "quickly" is not the librarian way when it's outside our range of expertise.
Put librarians in charge. They would very quietly and quickly just figure it out and then take no credit.
November 18, 2025 at 11:48 PM
As nice as this sounds, "quickly" is not the librarian way when it's outside our range of expertise.
Reposted by J. Arendt
Long story short: Don't use TurboTax
TurboTax is about to be integrated into ChatGPT, where customers will be guided through tasks tied to their tax filings or financial profile by the AI chatbot.
TurboTax owner Intuit is also paying OpenAI more than $100 million a year to power AI agents.
TurboTax owner Intuit is also paying OpenAI more than $100 million a year to power AI agents.
November 18, 2025 at 4:52 PM
Long story short: Don't use TurboTax
Reposted by J. Arendt
Lyft's 2016 projection vs Lyft's 2025 reality
November 18, 2025 at 12:45 PM
Lyft's 2016 projection vs Lyft's 2025 reality
Reposted by J. Arendt
Apparently, every "journalist" in the country completely forgot about this.
www.politico.com/news/2022/11...
www.politico.com/news/2022/11...
November 17, 2025 at 9:31 AM
Apparently, every "journalist" in the country completely forgot about this.
www.politico.com/news/2022/11...
www.politico.com/news/2022/11...
Because this piece came out today, I infer that he agrees with Megyn Kelly and thinks it's morally sanctimonious to use the word "pedophile" for middle-aged men who have sex with high schoolers.
I love writing one single article over and over again every month
November 14, 2025 at 2:15 AM
Because this piece came out today, I infer that he agrees with Megyn Kelly and thinks it's morally sanctimonious to use the word "pedophile" for middle-aged men who have sex with high schoolers.
The keep it "spiffy and clean" terminology could have come from a humble building manager, but I suspect it came from a particular associate dean. commonwealthtimes.org/2025/11/12/c...
Cabell Library has a microwave now
A microwave was installed inside Cabell Library for public use earlier this month — a small addition that provides a sizable convenience, according to students. The microwave, located just outside the...
commonwealthtimes.org
November 13, 2025 at 4:49 PM
The keep it "spiffy and clean" terminology could have come from a humble building manager, but I suspect it came from a particular associate dean. commonwealthtimes.org/2025/11/12/c...
About that mayor's wife who is a VCU Alum: commonwealthtimes.org/2025/11/12/n...
NYC’s new first lady Rama Duwaji got her start at VCU
As Virginia elected their next governor on Nov. 4, New Yorkers chose Zohran Mamdani to become their next mayor. His wife, Rama Duwaji, is a Syrian illustrator, animator, ceramist — and she studied at ...
commonwealthtimes.org
November 13, 2025 at 4:47 PM
About that mayor's wife who is a VCU Alum: commonwealthtimes.org/2025/11/12/n...
Based on this ad, it looks like Anthropic is the Costco to Grok's Sam's Club.
feel like some things got lost along the way but i guess that's the creative process for you
November 12, 2025 at 12:14 PM
Based on this ad, it looks like Anthropic is the Costco to Grok's Sam's Club.
Chronicle of Higher Ed. regularly publishes essays that I think are poorly thought out rehashes of worn-out arguments that I roll my eyes at.
Today had one that really got under my skin. Now I'm wasting time deciding what to DO about it, instead of just saying, "That's dumb," and moving on.
Today had one that really got under my skin. Now I'm wasting time deciding what to DO about it, instead of just saying, "That's dumb," and moving on.
November 11, 2025 at 6:04 PM
Chronicle of Higher Ed. regularly publishes essays that I think are poorly thought out rehashes of worn-out arguments that I roll my eyes at.
Today had one that really got under my skin. Now I'm wasting time deciding what to DO about it, instead of just saying, "That's dumb," and moving on.
Today had one that really got under my skin. Now I'm wasting time deciding what to DO about it, instead of just saying, "That's dumb," and moving on.
Reposted by J. Arendt
"If discovery tools return hallucinated results, the credibility of the library itself could be undermined. Students may come to see the library’s systems as just another unreliable search engine."
BINGO
BINGO
November 7, 2025 at 9:06 PM
"If discovery tools return hallucinated results, the credibility of the library itself could be undermined. Students may come to see the library’s systems as just another unreliable search engine."
BINGO
BINGO
Reposted by J. Arendt
Reposted by J. Arendt
How about we shut down the government for this very popular and specific goal and then, hear me out, we hold out for like a month and a half and then, ok this part is important, after a watershed election where we ran the table, ONLY THEN, fold and don't get the one thing we said we wanted.
November 10, 2025 at 2:31 AM
How about we shut down the government for this very popular and specific goal and then, hear me out, we hold out for like a month and a half and then, ok this part is important, after a watershed election where we ran the table, ONLY THEN, fold and don't get the one thing we said we wanted.
Is this headline like the mass shooting one, where The Onion just retuns the same story every time it happens?
November 10, 2025 at 10:58 AM
Is this headline like the mass shooting one, where The Onion just retuns the same story every time it happens?
Can the expression "DINO" become a thing, without endless hand wringing?
November 10, 2025 at 1:48 AM
Can the expression "DINO" become a thing, without endless hand wringing?
Reposted by J. Arendt
Schumer bravely reaffirms his commitment to saving his own Always Cave Act.
November 10, 2025 at 1:04 AM
Schumer bravely reaffirms his commitment to saving his own Always Cave Act.
Reposted by J. Arendt
40 years ago we’d have congressional hearings falsely accusing metal bands of putting backwards messages in their songs that told kids to kill themselves & now we have a planet-killing chatbot that’s all like “bet you won’t commit suicide chickenshit bitch” & the government is like here’s $5 billion
November 8, 2025 at 4:23 AM
40 years ago we’d have congressional hearings falsely accusing metal bands of putting backwards messages in their songs that told kids to kill themselves & now we have a planet-killing chatbot that’s all like “bet you won’t commit suicide chickenshit bitch” & the government is like here’s $5 billion
Am I the only one who looked him up on Wikipedia and then clicked on his wife's name to see if there was a reason for her to have her own entry, aside from being his wife?
November 4, 2025 at 8:05 PM
Am I the only one who looked him up on Wikipedia and then clicked on his wife's name to see if there was a reason for her to have her own entry, aside from being his wife?
Reposted by J. Arendt
All day, many of you have been asking for a Cheney obituary from me. Get ready:
His Works Completed, Dick Cheney, Mass Murderer of Iraqis and American Democracy, Dies
As much as the Trumpists claim to disavow the War on Terror, they walk a path paved by the most powerful vice president in U.S. history.
www.thenation.com
November 4, 2025 at 5:55 PM
All day, many of you have been asking for a Cheney obituary from me. Get ready:
Reposted by J. Arendt
i want to repeat this: mamdani and spanberger have run similar campaigns tailored to their respective electorates and it is maddening to watch political journalists attempt to create some broad contrast where none exist
the other thing about this is that there is no reason to pit these candidates against each other? each are good fits for their respective electorates and each shows the value of vigorous campaigns focused on the stated material problems of voters.
November 4, 2025 at 1:37 PM
i want to repeat this: mamdani and spanberger have run similar campaigns tailored to their respective electorates and it is maddening to watch political journalists attempt to create some broad contrast where none exist
Reposted by J. Arendt
November 2, 2025 at 12:26 PM
Reposted by J. Arendt
“70% of wage-earning adults who rely on government programs like SNAP and Medicaid work full-time, many at hugely profitable companies like Walmart and McDonald’s whose low wages are effectively subsidized by tax dollars without any of the blame or paternalistic lectures.”
SNAP benefits feed essential needs while still leaving many hungry for more
Journalist and author Adam Chandler explains what so much of the conversation about them gets wrong.
www.thehandbasket.co
November 1, 2025 at 2:55 PM
“70% of wage-earning adults who rely on government programs like SNAP and Medicaid work full-time, many at hugely profitable companies like Walmart and McDonald’s whose low wages are effectively subsidized by tax dollars without any of the blame or paternalistic lectures.”
From a driver's perspective, the chances of hitting a kid still went way up. Stay home and give out candy, if you can.
This chart is popular, but it’s misleading.
Many, many more children walk on Halloween compared to other dates. In fact, a child walking on Oct 31 is likely *safer* than they would be doing so on any other day.
Many, many more children walk on Halloween compared to other dates. In fact, a child walking on Oct 31 is likely *safer* than they would be doing so on any other day.
once again posting The Chart
October 31, 2025 at 3:07 PM
From a driver's perspective, the chances of hitting a kid still went way up. Stay home and give out candy, if you can.
That NYTimes article about avoiding AI may have failed to distinguish generative AI from other types, but even when you narrow it to generative, the baked-in quality on major tech platforms makes the avoidance harder than it appears at first. source.colostate.edu/guest-column...
Guest column: When publishers’ fear of AI prohibits basic uses
"This fall, the CSU Libraries engaged in contract renewal negotiations for its subscription of SciFinder, a database aggregator provided by CAS, a division of the American Chemical Society."
source.colostate.edu
October 29, 2025 at 6:42 PM
That NYTimes article about avoiding AI may have failed to distinguish generative AI from other types, but even when you narrow it to generative, the baked-in quality on major tech platforms makes the avoidance harder than it appears at first. source.colostate.edu/guest-column...