Larry Birdland
@gerscholem.bsky.social
PhD student at UChicago - I read Phoenician, Hebrew, Akkadian, and Greek poetry. I collect records and hail from the city-state of Bloomington, IN
“I’m stayin’ . . . I’m finishin’ my coffee.”
“I’m stayin’ . . . I’m finishin’ my coffee.”
@bloomingtonian.bsky.social just posted an article for their website written by a corporate president who used chat gpt to write it. The articles worries about whether Bton is attracting workers.
This is antithetical to any kind of ethical journalism and is hostile to any ideal of local media.
This is antithetical to any kind of ethical journalism and is hostile to any ideal of local media.
November 21, 2025 at 4:01 AM
@bloomingtonian.bsky.social just posted an article for their website written by a corporate president who used chat gpt to write it. The articles worries about whether Bton is attracting workers.
This is antithetical to any kind of ethical journalism and is hostile to any ideal of local media.
This is antithetical to any kind of ethical journalism and is hostile to any ideal of local media.
Reposted by Larry Birdland
If you use GMail, AI (Gemini) was turned on yesterday by default and now scans all of your content for machine learning. To turn off, go to Settings>General and scroll down. Uncheck the box for "Smart features."
There's other "Smart" add-ons as well, but that's the one that reads your content.
There's other "Smart" add-ons as well, but that's the one that reads your content.
November 20, 2025 at 5:32 PM
If you use GMail, AI (Gemini) was turned on yesterday by default and now scans all of your content for machine learning. To turn off, go to Settings>General and scroll down. Uncheck the box for "Smart features."
There's other "Smart" add-ons as well, but that's the one that reads your content.
There's other "Smart" add-ons as well, but that's the one that reads your content.
I now realize that in addition to my intended plain meaning (that since I study the theory of religion, for which cults are an interpretive dilemma, it is only right and good that I find joy in contemplating said problem), there is a second alchemical reading that academia is itself a cult . . .
What does it mean that watching documentaries about cults cheers me up?
At the very least I seem to be in the right line of work.
At the very least I seem to be in the right line of work.
November 20, 2025 at 2:58 AM
I now realize that in addition to my intended plain meaning (that since I study the theory of religion, for which cults are an interpretive dilemma, it is only right and good that I find joy in contemplating said problem), there is a second alchemical reading that academia is itself a cult . . .
1 Samuel, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings, 2 Kings
Ok BlueSky: what are your favorite history books in terms of sheer page-turning, narrative propulsion? Thinking along the line of Killers of the Flower Moon, etc. Nonfiction chronicles that read like novels or movies.
November 20, 2025 at 2:45 AM
1 Samuel, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings, 2 Kings
What the heckarooni
Ancient Aramaic inscription uncovered in rural Ardahan now under study at Kars Archaeology Museum - Türkiye Today
www.turkiyetoday.com/culture/anci...
www.turkiyetoday.com/culture/anci...
Ancient Aramaic inscription uncovered in rural Ardahan now under study at Kars Archaeology Museum - Türkiye Today
A newly found Aramaic inscription from Ardahan is under study in Kars, revealing early clues about ancient borders and the rule of King Artaksiad
www.turkiyetoday.com
November 19, 2025 at 7:21 PM
What the heckarooni
What does it mean that watching documentaries about cults cheers me up?
At the very least I seem to be in the right line of work.
At the very least I seem to be in the right line of work.
November 19, 2025 at 4:24 AM
What does it mean that watching documentaries about cults cheers me up?
At the very least I seem to be in the right line of work.
At the very least I seem to be in the right line of work.
@flintdibble.bsky.social has done a lot of important work debunking cranks, but this video shows how interconnected conspiracy theories, pseudo archaeology, and new age spirituality really are.
What is scary is how Graham Hancock has gone from the obsession of weirdos to a mainstream media star.
What is scary is how Graham Hancock has gone from the obsession of weirdos to a mainstream media star.
[NEW VIDEO] A crazy interview with Graham Hancock from 1996 sheds light on his early career. It's filled with culty vibes and even wilder conspiracy theories than he normally peddles
Check out my analysis here: The Birth of Graham Hancock's Doomsday Cult youtu.be/X104ovO3q4w
Check out my analysis here: The Birth of Graham Hancock's Doomsday Cult youtu.be/X104ovO3q4w
The Birth of Graham Hancock’s Doomsday Cult
YouTube video by Archaeology with Flint Dibble
youtu.be
November 16, 2025 at 9:32 PM
@flintdibble.bsky.social has done a lot of important work debunking cranks, but this video shows how interconnected conspiracy theories, pseudo archaeology, and new age spirituality really are.
What is scary is how Graham Hancock has gone from the obsession of weirdos to a mainstream media star.
What is scary is how Graham Hancock has gone from the obsession of weirdos to a mainstream media star.
I assure you that the jokes you are making about this are not funny.
November 13, 2025 at 6:44 AM
I assure you that the jokes you are making about this are not funny.
Any argument against the existence of oligarchy in the US, as for example made by the NYT in a recent interview with Bernie, has to contend with the dictatorial powers of corporate employers and landlords, an authoritarian tendency found also in 'small businesses' & really all rent seeking behavior.
A looming Las Vegas strike spotlights rampant labor abuses in the service sector, which now drives the US economy. Scholar Annie McClanahan notes this shift makes building worker power harder yet more essential for improving wages and protections.
Impending Strike in Las Vegas Exposes Labor Abuses in Service Sector Nationwide
Service work now dominates the economy. That changes how we build worker power, scholar Annie McClanahan says.
buff.ly
November 12, 2025 at 11:03 PM
Any argument against the existence of oligarchy in the US, as for example made by the NYT in a recent interview with Bernie, has to contend with the dictatorial powers of corporate employers and landlords, an authoritarian tendency found also in 'small businesses' & really all rent seeking behavior.
Rereading Nietzsche's Genealogy I feel like his antisemitism is pretty unambiguous
November 12, 2025 at 7:06 PM
Rereading Nietzsche's Genealogy I feel like his antisemitism is pretty unambiguous
Reposted by Larry Birdland
"In these days it is almost impossible to speak of religion at all, without giving offence either on the right or on the left. With some, religion seems too sacred a subject for scientific treatment;
November 12, 2025 at 8:20 AM
"In these days it is almost impossible to speak of religion at all, without giving offence either on the right or on the left. With some, religion seems too sacred a subject for scientific treatment;
"In these days it is almost impossible to speak of religion at all, without giving offence either on the right or on the left. With some, religion seems too sacred a subject for scientific treatment;
November 12, 2025 at 8:20 AM
"In these days it is almost impossible to speak of religion at all, without giving offence either on the right or on the left. With some, religion seems too sacred a subject for scientific treatment;
A recent article in the IDS on the same problem. (I'm sure it's a total coincidence that IU tried to shut the IDS down weeks after it was written).
www.idsnews.com/article/2025...
www.idsnews.com/article/2025...
November 9, 2025 at 1:10 AM
A recent article in the IDS on the same problem. (I'm sure it's a total coincidence that IU tried to shut the IDS down weeks after it was written).
www.idsnews.com/article/2025...
www.idsnews.com/article/2025...
I'm returning to express my outrage at what is happening at my alma mater. I got an MA in Jewish Studies from IU and worked with many ppl in this story.
Sabina is an incredibly kind and hard working scholar who does not deserve this kind of treatment.
www.jta.org/2025/11/07/u...
Sabina is an incredibly kind and hard working scholar who does not deserve this kind of treatment.
www.jta.org/2025/11/07/u...
In Indiana, a vaunted Jewish studies program is upended by red-state politics over Israel and speech - Jewish Telegraphic Agency
A leadership shakeup, a defunded graduate student and political pressure from above have turned a storied program into a flashpoint for Trump-era campus politics.
www.jta.org
November 8, 2025 at 10:45 PM
I'm returning to express my outrage at what is happening at my alma mater. I got an MA in Jewish Studies from IU and worked with many ppl in this story.
Sabina is an incredibly kind and hard working scholar who does not deserve this kind of treatment.
www.jta.org/2025/11/07/u...
Sabina is an incredibly kind and hard working scholar who does not deserve this kind of treatment.
www.jta.org/2025/11/07/u...
It's only normal, while pursuing a PhD in the history of Religions, for which you daily spend hours reading Greek poetry and Hebrew inscriptions, to wonder what the hell you're doing with your life, but finding books like this, by weirdos from nearly 100 years ago doing the same, supplies an answer.
October 23, 2025 at 4:06 AM
It's only normal, while pursuing a PhD in the history of Religions, for which you daily spend hours reading Greek poetry and Hebrew inscriptions, to wonder what the hell you're doing with your life, but finding books like this, by weirdos from nearly 100 years ago doing the same, supplies an answer.
I'd say it's been real but . . . well, it really hasn't.
"The enemy is the gramophone mind, whether or not one agrees with the record being played at the moment."
- a guy who actually fought fascists
- a guy who actually fought fascists
September 26, 2025 at 5:57 PM
I'd say it's been real but . . . well, it really hasn't.
Okay, I've come to a conclusion:
bluesky has become just as bad as Twitter. I think it had potential as a place to share and discuss ideas, especially within academia, but the constraints of an online forum produce the same results, whatever the intention.
We need new social structures
☮️
bluesky has become just as bad as Twitter. I think it had potential as a place to share and discuss ideas, especially within academia, but the constraints of an online forum produce the same results, whatever the intention.
We need new social structures
☮️
I think I've truly lost faith in the ability of Americans to have a calm, rational discussion about politics.
Certainly not on the internet.
I will either have to radically alter how I use this thing or delete my account.
And my apologies to anyone who had to read various unstable interactions
Certainly not on the internet.
I will either have to radically alter how I use this thing or delete my account.
And my apologies to anyone who had to read various unstable interactions
September 26, 2025 at 1:13 PM
Okay, I've come to a conclusion:
bluesky has become just as bad as Twitter. I think it had potential as a place to share and discuss ideas, especially within academia, but the constraints of an online forum produce the same results, whatever the intention.
We need new social structures
☮️
bluesky has become just as bad as Twitter. I think it had potential as a place to share and discuss ideas, especially within academia, but the constraints of an online forum produce the same results, whatever the intention.
We need new social structures
☮️
I had a real bad day on here today that makes me want to delete all social media. Liberals telling me to kill myself and drop out of school because I said we shouldn't wish economic ruin on Republicans. .
September 25, 2025 at 11:51 PM
I had a real bad day on here today that makes me want to delete all social media. Liberals telling me to kill myself and drop out of school because I said we shouldn't wish economic ruin on Republicans. .
I think I've truly lost faith in the ability of Americans to have a calm, rational discussion about politics.
Certainly not on the internet.
I will either have to radically alter how I use this thing or delete my account.
And my apologies to anyone who had to read various unstable interactions
Certainly not on the internet.
I will either have to radically alter how I use this thing or delete my account.
And my apologies to anyone who had to read various unstable interactions
September 25, 2025 at 10:17 PM
I think I've truly lost faith in the ability of Americans to have a calm, rational discussion about politics.
Certainly not on the internet.
I will either have to radically alter how I use this thing or delete my account.
And my apologies to anyone who had to read various unstable interactions
Certainly not on the internet.
I will either have to radically alter how I use this thing or delete my account.
And my apologies to anyone who had to read various unstable interactions
Thank you to everyone for all of the wonderful feedback. I clearly was wrong about the toxic atmosphere of political discourse on social media.
The responses have been respectful, thoughtful, and filled w/ new perspectives on US culture and clear, practical strategies for fixing this country.
The responses have been respectful, thoughtful, and filled w/ new perspectives on US culture and clear, practical strategies for fixing this country.
The difference between liberals and socialists is that socialists don't want to "nuke the finances" of delivery drivers
If I delete my account here it will be because of accounts like this- I've honestly tried to keep posts like this off my timeline but it doesn't work
If I delete my account here it will be because of accounts like this- I've honestly tried to keep posts like this off my timeline but it doesn't work
supreme court please stunt on these people and allow Trump to nuke their finances
September 25, 2025 at 6:16 PM
Thank you to everyone for all of the wonderful feedback. I clearly was wrong about the toxic atmosphere of political discourse on social media.
The responses have been respectful, thoughtful, and filled w/ new perspectives on US culture and clear, practical strategies for fixing this country.
The responses have been respectful, thoughtful, and filled w/ new perspectives on US culture and clear, practical strategies for fixing this country.
The difference between liberals and socialists is that socialists don't want to "nuke the finances" of delivery drivers
If I delete my account here it will be because of accounts like this- I've honestly tried to keep posts like this off my timeline but it doesn't work
If I delete my account here it will be because of accounts like this- I've honestly tried to keep posts like this off my timeline but it doesn't work
supreme court please stunt on these people and allow Trump to nuke their finances
September 25, 2025 at 3:00 PM
The difference between liberals and socialists is that socialists don't want to "nuke the finances" of delivery drivers
If I delete my account here it will be because of accounts like this- I've honestly tried to keep posts like this off my timeline but it doesn't work
If I delete my account here it will be because of accounts like this- I've honestly tried to keep posts like this off my timeline but it doesn't work
Getting in the holiday spirit by eating apples and watching The Rabbi's Cat
September 22, 2025 at 12:44 AM
Getting in the holiday spirit by eating apples and watching The Rabbi's Cat
Reposted by Larry Birdland
𝗝𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗮𝗵 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝘂 & 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗮 𝗦𝗼𝗳𝗶𝗮 𝗛𝗼𝗻𝗲𝗿 are coming home in support of their latest record, 𝐃𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐑𝐨𝐨𝐦𝐬; setting the vibe for the Bitchin Bajas Record Release Show at the Bottle along with Potions and Gogo.
Get your tickets TODAY: tinyurl.com/576jdsmb
Get your tickets TODAY: tinyurl.com/576jdsmb
September 19, 2025 at 5:09 PM
𝗝𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗮𝗵 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝘂 & 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗮 𝗦𝗼𝗳𝗶𝗮 𝗛𝗼𝗻𝗲𝗿 are coming home in support of their latest record, 𝐃𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐑𝐨𝐨𝐦𝐬; setting the vibe for the Bitchin Bajas Record Release Show at the Bottle along with Potions and Gogo.
Get your tickets TODAY: tinyurl.com/576jdsmb
Get your tickets TODAY: tinyurl.com/576jdsmb