Author | Lightnews

Mathew

@realmatrobnew.bsky.social

110 followers 180 following 430 posts

Digging this new experience of Twitter circa 2009. While we're all still working out the etiquette, I'll follow people back who follow me, but for now DMs only from people I know.

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Mathew @realmatrobnew.bsky.social · 11h

You can't spell Cortez without MRTA, wait no ORTE....

Mathew @realmatrobnew.bsky.social · 20h

My '06 Subaru Forester's dash clock is correct for the first time since I bought it in June. I thought I might have to move back to Denver.

Mathew @realmatrobnew.bsky.social · 21h

fortunately, Sam Altman has informed us that all scribing and astronomy will be handled by AI, freeing us up for full-time corvee work. Problem solved!

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Mathew @realmatrobnew.bsky.social · 1d

Oh, come on: "An Examination o the Principles and Tendency of Stat.36 Geo.II. c.33, commonly called...." and then the image is cut off. We demand to know the herein-detail Sin, so that we can study it at length and, um, best Fortify our own Marriages against it.

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Mathew @realmatrobnew.bsky.social · 1d

But which one of them was bald? [correct answer: all Greeks are bald]

Mathew @realmatrobnew.bsky.social · 1d

Honestly, my appreciation for Bigelow went up about 400% w this film. I hope it has the impact of e.g. Failsafe or The Day After; that's their intent. The ending & whole structure of the film (18 min countdown) is critical to its message.

Mathew @realmatrobnew.bsky.social · 1d

If Sherrill's in any real trouble -- by which I mean the race ends up close, not that she loses -- it will be bc the deficit with white voters is a bit higher, not bc Black voters break R 60-40, lol.

But for anyone actually worried about this race, look at any solid aggregator or at Predictit.

Mathew @realmatrobnew.bsky.social · 2d

The civilian leadership all turn out to be ordinary humans dealing with the unthinkable. The military folks have all drilled for this hundreds of times, but not the civilians. Totally believable, up to & including Idris.

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Mathew @realmatrobnew.bsky.social · 2d

The ending is NOT disappointing, jeez. It's just not a conventional narrative ending. Very much making a point.

Watch the movie.

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Mathew @realmatrobnew.bsky.social · 3d

FOX: "Out-of-Control Activist Judge Rules That Child Hunger is Illegal"

Mathew @realmatrobnew.bsky.social · 3d

N.S.: Well, *actually*, the margin may not be statistically significant, if you look at this probability-distribution chart...

Mathew @realmatrobnew.bsky.social · 3d

All of this is what plants crave...

Mathew @realmatrobnew.bsky.social · 3d

wait, trying to understand the metaphor here. Who is the broken statue in this one? Who/what is the lone and level sands stretching far away?

In New York town did Zohran Kahn a landslide victory decree,
tho Schumer refused to endorse,
the Hudson still pursued its course
down to a sunless sea...

Mathew @realmatrobnew.bsky.social · 4d

My heart stopped for 2 1/2 seconds until I read this second post.

But I mean, sorry NYC.

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Mathew @realmatrobnew.bsky.social · 7d

I'm pretty sure this is just shadow puppetry (see wall).

Nothing else to see here. Move along.

Mathew @realmatrobnew.bsky.social · 9d

I DO get that there were some compelling reasons for the shifts to digital (& the shift to anthologies-only, sad as that was), and this is all fairly complicated. But right to the end I at least modeled physical books w/lots of annotation-scrawling, & I'd say 40% of my students still followed me.

Mathew @realmatrobnew.bsky.social · 9d

I taught literature '92-'98 and then again 2010-2022, at multiple non-elite schools. During the first stint that physical book-a-week seminar format was commonplace. In the 2nd there was vigorous & escalating pushback against both physical books & hand-written in-class anything. 1/2

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Mathew @realmatrobnew.bsky.social · 10d

for those unfamiliar with "old Burroughs voice," here's an example (and one of my fav Burroughs readings):

www.youtube.com/watch?v=4yZQ...

Words Of Advice For Young People

YouTube video by William S. Burroughs - Topic

www.youtube.com

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Mathew @realmatrobnew.bsky.social · 10d

This line is best read in the 80-year-old Burroughs voice.

"People like to think of America as a young country. Actually it's very old. Old and evil..."

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Mathew @realmatrobnew.bsky.social · 10d

That's cool, but I'd much prefer a new Indie poll. I'm thinking she's much more likely +6 or so. Obviously I'd love a larger lead

Mathew @realmatrobnew.bsky.social · 10d

wow -- Canva really DOES enhance productivity!

Mathew @realmatrobnew.bsky.social · 14d

I'M NOT OFF THE RECORD! YOU'RE OFF THE RECORD!

Mathew @realmatrobnew.bsky.social · 16d

The food in (most of) Spain is honestly one of the few reasons I'd hesitate to choose it as a potential escape from MAGA dystopia. Yes, some parts of Spanish Med have a Med-ish cuisine, tho still relatively light on fresh veg. But southern Italy is just as cheap & has incomparably better food.

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Mathew @realmatrobnew.bsky.social · 21d

the first rule of Ren Fayre is...

Mathew @realmatrobnew.bsky.social · 21d

native Washingtonian, but went to Reed 1981-85. Since then I've largely followed the further development of Portland(ia) from afar, but all of this emphatically aligns with my own experience. Certainly Reed would have become a very different school if it had been founded anywhere else.

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