L.D. Burnett
@ldburnett.bsky.social
born and raised and flourishing in California’s Great Central Valley
Pinned
L.D. Burnett
@ldburnett.bsky.social
· Oct 18
A tool built on the stolen labor of others will not liberate you as a worker.
A tool built on the stolen ideas of others will not liberate you as a thinker.
You are not using AI; AI is using you.
Stop it.
A tool built on the stolen ideas of others will not liberate you as a thinker.
You are not using AI; AI is using you.
Stop it.
Reposted by L.D. Burnett
You can tell they are Protestant at heart because real Catholics who disagree with the Pope acknowledge his authority, say thank you Holy Father, and then just quietly ignore the guidance.
you're telling me a right-wing catholic convert is just a protestant in disguise? shocked
In newly leaked audio, Peter Thiel admits he urged JD Vance to ignore Pope Leo XIV on moral questions — including the ethical development of AI.
He goes even further, branding Leo “the woke American pope” and suggesting he’s a tool of the Antichrist.
He goes even further, branding Leo “the woke American pope” and suggesting he’s a tool of the Antichrist.
November 26, 2025 at 12:27 PM
You can tell they are Protestant at heart because real Catholics who disagree with the Pope acknowledge his authority, say thank you Holy Father, and then just quietly ignore the guidance.
wait, there is ANOTHER double-z person in this hideous story?!
November 26, 2025 at 9:26 PM
wait, there is ANOTHER double-z person in this hideous story?!
Reposted by L.D. Burnett
In 1924, Calvin Coolidge's 16-yr-old son played tennis on the White House grounds w/o wearing socks. He got a blister and was dead from infection a week later.
This is unthinkable today—which is why I wrote this series. Cuz the systems that save us from this kind of fate are in urgent need of care.
This is unthinkable today—which is why I wrote this series. Cuz the systems that save us from this kind of fate are in urgent need of care.
For a yr, I've been working on a series for The New Atlantis about the vast systems that underlie our lives. Our ancestors built them up over decades to fend off hunger, thirst, darkness and disease. But too few of us know about them—and they're all at risk. The conclusion is now available online:
Why We Are Better Off Than a Century Ago
Our ancestors built grand public systems to conquer hunger, thirst, darkness, and squalor. That progress can be lost if we forget it.
www.thenewatlantis.com
November 25, 2025 at 9:03 PM
In 1924, Calvin Coolidge's 16-yr-old son played tennis on the White House grounds w/o wearing socks. He got a blister and was dead from infection a week later.
This is unthinkable today—which is why I wrote this series. Cuz the systems that save us from this kind of fate are in urgent need of care.
This is unthinkable today—which is why I wrote this series. Cuz the systems that save us from this kind of fate are in urgent need of care.
Reposted by L.D. Burnett
As the campus settles into fall, we wish you a restful and restorative break. 🍂
Campus will be closed Thursday, November 27, and Friday, November 28.
Campus will be closed Thursday, November 27, and Friday, November 28.
November 26, 2025 at 9:00 PM
As the campus settles into fall, we wish you a restful and restorative break. 🍂
Campus will be closed Thursday, November 27, and Friday, November 28.
Campus will be closed Thursday, November 27, and Friday, November 28.
snorkeling is my #1 favorite vacation activit. so serene and beautiful
went snorkeling for the first time ever today and it was soooo fun :] got to hold a big starfish and see so many reef fish i am sooooo glad i worked past the Being Scared
November 26, 2025 at 9:02 PM
snorkeling is my #1 favorite vacation activit. so serene and beautiful
unironically, this is The Way
Handing back student work that’s been written by ChatGPT with a 0 followed by the comment “This essay will never stand in authentic wonder before the Beauty of God’s creation.”
Pope Leo XIV told students not to use artificial intelligence for homework, saying that AI ‘won’t stand in authentic wonder before the beauty of God’s creation.’
November 26, 2025 at 8:56 PM
unironically, this is The Way
Reposted by L.D. Burnett
Still have yet to see AI make my life better in any way
November 26, 2025 at 12:02 PM
Still have yet to see AI make my life better in any way
Reposted by L.D. Burnett
Good morning to Brazilian reporter Manuela Borges, who’s been waiting eleven years for this petty moment. ❤️ 🇧🇷
November 26, 2025 at 1:04 PM
Good morning to Brazilian reporter Manuela Borges, who’s been waiting eleven years for this petty moment. ❤️ 🇧🇷
double predestine THIS!
Calvin gets it twice
I ever see that smug fucker Martin Luther its on sight
November 26, 2025 at 7:49 AM
double predestine THIS!
Reposted by L.D. Burnett
Calvin gets it twice
I ever see that smug fucker Martin Luther its on sight
November 26, 2025 at 3:04 AM
Calvin gets it twice
two things are true:
1. my sense of self is completely immune to injury or harm from the comments/judgments of the young folks
2. when a college undergrad stops me to say, "I love your oufit--that's so cute!" my spirit is lifted to the stratosphere and I will ride that high for days and days
1. my sense of self is completely immune to injury or harm from the comments/judgments of the young folks
2. when a college undergrad stops me to say, "I love your oufit--that's so cute!" my spirit is lifted to the stratosphere and I will ride that high for days and days
November 25, 2025 at 7:04 PM
two things are true:
1. my sense of self is completely immune to injury or harm from the comments/judgments of the young folks
2. when a college undergrad stops me to say, "I love your oufit--that's so cute!" my spirit is lifted to the stratosphere and I will ride that high for days and days
1. my sense of self is completely immune to injury or harm from the comments/judgments of the young folks
2. when a college undergrad stops me to say, "I love your oufit--that's so cute!" my spirit is lifted to the stratosphere and I will ride that high for days and days
Happy Thanksgiving!
November 25, 2025 at 2:48 PM
Happy Thanksgiving!
Reposted by L.D. Burnett
It’s not just a problem with LLMs. People pushing skills over content drive me crazy. If students never develop domain knowledge, all of the analytical skills don’t matter much because they don’t have a basis for analysis.
November 24, 2025 at 4:47 PM
It’s not just a problem with LLMs. People pushing skills over content drive me crazy. If students never develop domain knowledge, all of the analytical skills don’t matter much because they don’t have a basis for analysis.
Reposted by L.D. Burnett
I'm so tired of people telling me to have students critique LLM outputs. I'm just going to print this on little cards and hand them out
I will add the following: our students lack the research skills required to audit an LLM essay for errors. They don’t arrive on campus with these skills; we teach it to them over four long years. So throwing freshmen in the deep end and saying “swim your way to a shore of rectitude” is folly.
November 24, 2025 at 2:36 PM
I'm so tired of people telling me to have students critique LLM outputs. I'm just going to print this on little cards and hand them out
Reposted by L.D. Burnett
This is not the way, and @cnygren.bsky.social and I lay out in detail why it isn’t in this essay here. static1.squarespace.com/static/55577...
November 24, 2025 at 1:16 PM
This is not the way, and @cnygren.bsky.social and I lay out in detail why it isn’t in this essay here. static1.squarespace.com/static/55577...
If you are like me, you immediately scrolled through Jamelle Bouie’s posts to find the biscuit photo in question.
If you are like me, you also were absolutely transported by the utter beauty of that biscuit...and you’re reading every single reply and quote-post to see the deranged tedium.
If you are like me, you also were absolutely transported by the utter beauty of that biscuit...and you’re reading every single reply and quote-post to see the deranged tedium.
love the website where posting a picture of a biscuit inspires deranged comments and some of the most tedious discourse imaginable
November 24, 2025 at 3:59 AM
If you are like me, you immediately scrolled through Jamelle Bouie’s posts to find the biscuit photo in question.
If you are like me, you also were absolutely transported by the utter beauty of that biscuit...and you’re reading every single reply and quote-post to see the deranged tedium.
If you are like me, you also were absolutely transported by the utter beauty of that biscuit...and you’re reading every single reply and quote-post to see the deranged tedium.
Reposted by L.D. Burnett
We need it. Not only are the classes full, but also concert halls, libraries - we've gone to a bunch of classical concerts this year as an antidote to despair and guess what - they are full. They were not as full before, but they are now.
"Humanities are shrinking" is artificially imposed top down.
"Humanities are shrinking" is artificially imposed top down.
"While other universities report that the humanities are shrinking, at Berkeley, the opposite is true. The music major is the fastest-growing major on campus. We are finding bigger classrooms because film is exploding. English is back to the numbers we saw 15 years ago. We are hiring" bit.ly/4ohKuOe
"The humanities really are a resource — a confidence for living in our times.” Dean Sara Guyer on the modern utility of humanities degrees
This interview originally appeared on the Division of Arts
bit.ly
November 23, 2025 at 7:36 PM
We need it. Not only are the classes full, but also concert halls, libraries - we've gone to a bunch of classical concerts this year as an antidote to despair and guess what - they are full. They were not as full before, but they are now.
"Humanities are shrinking" is artificially imposed top down.
"Humanities are shrinking" is artificially imposed top down.
went to a party at halftime, came home to learn that Dallas won that game?!
Eagles, wyd?
Eagles, wyd?
November 24, 2025 at 1:04 AM
went to a party at halftime, came home to learn that Dallas won that game?!
Eagles, wyd?
Eagles, wyd?
Reposted by L.D. Burnett
It’s blowing my mind that schools, universities, public services would run headlong into this. We spent 15 years documenting black boxes. This is a black box in a black hole!
I don't understand how anyone can watch how blatantly Grok is manipulated to answer the way ownership desires it to and then act like the other LLM chatbots couldn't possibly be similarly but less obviously compromised to produce responses in whatever way corporate interests and priorities dictate.
November 23, 2025 at 11:16 PM
It’s blowing my mind that schools, universities, public services would run headlong into this. We spent 15 years documenting black boxes. This is a black box in a black hole!
Reposted by L.D. Burnett
Just a friendly reminder as we go into the holidays:
Folks don't have to explain to you why they don't drink.
If you offer them a drink and they decline, don't ask them why. It's not your business.
Just offer them something without alcohol to drink instead. And move on.
Folks don't have to explain to you why they don't drink.
If you offer them a drink and they decline, don't ask them why. It's not your business.
Just offer them something without alcohol to drink instead. And move on.
November 23, 2025 at 8:04 PM
Just a friendly reminder as we go into the holidays:
Folks don't have to explain to you why they don't drink.
If you offer them a drink and they decline, don't ask them why. It's not your business.
Just offer them something without alcohol to drink instead. And move on.
Folks don't have to explain to you why they don't drink.
If you offer them a drink and they decline, don't ask them why. It's not your business.
Just offer them something without alcohol to drink instead. And move on.
Reposted by L.D. Burnett
Huh
"While other universities report that the humanities are shrinking, at Berkeley, the opposite is true. The music major is the fastest-growing major on campus. We are finding bigger classrooms because film is exploding. English is back to the numbers we saw 15 years ago. We are hiring" bit.ly/4ohKuOe
"The humanities really are a resource — a confidence for living in our times.” Dean Sara Guyer on the modern utility of humanities degrees
This interview originally appeared on the Division of Arts
bit.ly
November 23, 2025 at 7:22 PM
Huh
Reposted by L.D. Burnett
You can see their equally ill-equipped pit crew members wandering the aisles of grocery stores all week.
the “thanksgiving food is bad” discourse raises its ugly head every year, but the truth remains that thanksgiving food can be amazing as long as you know how to cook. the problem is we’re throwing a few million sunday drivers directly into a grand prix
I think this is unfair to turkey. turkey is good but hard to cook well because it is so damn big. turkey *parts* are great but lack the esthetic appeal of a centerpiece bird.
November 23, 2025 at 7:49 PM
You can see their equally ill-equipped pit crew members wandering the aisles of grocery stores all week.
didn’t Massie say there is a Canadian billionaire already named in the Epstein files?
November 23, 2025 at 5:09 PM
didn’t Massie say there is a Canadian billionaire already named in the Epstein files?
Reposted by L.D. Burnett
So much of my service work these days involves thinking about numbers and making numbers-based arguments, but at the end of the day it MUST be about creating spaces and opportunities for students' intellectual growth or what is it all for?
November 23, 2025 at 3:59 PM
So much of my service work these days involves thinking about numbers and making numbers-based arguments, but at the end of the day it MUST be about creating spaces and opportunities for students' intellectual growth or what is it all for?
Reposted by L.D. Burnett
Teaching @ldburnett.bsky.social's "Holding On To What Makes Us Human" in my History capstone this week. It still slaps.
Holding On to What Makes Us Human
Defending the humanities in a skills-obsessed university.
www.chronicle.com
November 23, 2025 at 3:59 PM
Teaching @ldburnett.bsky.social's "Holding On To What Makes Us Human" in my History capstone this week. It still slaps.