Matthew Harrison
@matthewharrison.bsky.social
pizza advocate; english professor
Is this diorama assigned as my kid’s homework beautiful? No. Can I honestly say it was my kid’s own work? Also no. But did we have fun as a family in the process? Well, not really…
November 29, 2025 at 5:59 PM
Is this diorama assigned as my kid’s homework beautiful? No. Can I honestly say it was my kid’s own work? Also no. But did we have fun as a family in the process? Well, not really…
@tracelarkhall.bsky.social Shakespeare-themed puzzle at my folks’ house. They had to get used to me complaining that the geography was all wrong.
November 29, 2025 at 2:40 AM
@tracelarkhall.bsky.social Shakespeare-themed puzzle at my folks’ house. They had to get used to me complaining that the geography was all wrong.
Reposted by Matthew Harrison
There was a bit of this sort of thing in the Lord Mayor's procession in London the other day, all the still-extant guilds etc. were there. I only caught a bit of it but there was a giant inflatable joint of lamb.
November 27, 2025 at 3:08 PM
There was a bit of this sort of thing in the Lord Mayor's procession in London the other day, all the still-extant guilds etc. were there. I only caught a bit of it but there was a giant inflatable joint of lamb.
Reposted by Matthew Harrison
lakers fans sound off in the comments if this is what you instinctually landed on
November 26, 2025 at 11:56 PM
lakers fans sound off in the comments if this is what you instinctually landed on
Reposted by Matthew Harrison
If medieval guilds and fraternities had inflatable balloon technology, they would have gone so hard. Gigantic balloon of the side wound of Christ, St Lucy with her eyes as two separate balloons, Margaret and her dragon
November 27, 2025 at 2:35 PM
If medieval guilds and fraternities had inflatable balloon technology, they would have gone so hard. Gigantic balloon of the side wound of Christ, St Lucy with her eyes as two separate balloons, Margaret and her dragon
cannot believe no one is live-posting the parade yet
also nothing has happened in the parade so far
also nothing has happened in the parade so far
November 27, 2025 at 2:49 PM
cannot believe no one is live-posting the parade yet
also nothing has happened in the parade so far
also nothing has happened in the parade so far
Reposted by Matthew Harrison
Account of Arnolf Van Harff's travels in 1496-1499. (Bodleian Library Oxford MS. Bodl. 972, fol. 074v) Nun mounted on a donkey, followed by an African man.
November 27, 2025 at 1:44 PM
Account of Arnolf Van Harff's travels in 1496-1499. (Bodleian Library Oxford MS. Bodl. 972, fol. 074v) Nun mounted on a donkey, followed by an African man.
Reposted by Matthew Harrison
Not because of victories
I sing,
having none,
but for the common sunshine,
the breeze,
the largess of the spring.
Not for victory
but for the day's work done
as well as I was able;
not for a seat upon the dais
but at the common table.
"Te Deum"
Charles Reznikoff
Happy Thanksgiving!
I sing,
having none,
but for the common sunshine,
the breeze,
the largess of the spring.
Not for victory
but for the day's work done
as well as I was able;
not for a seat upon the dais
but at the common table.
"Te Deum"
Charles Reznikoff
Happy Thanksgiving!
November 27, 2025 at 2:09 PM
Not because of victories
I sing,
having none,
but for the common sunshine,
the breeze,
the largess of the spring.
Not for victory
but for the day's work done
as well as I was able;
not for a seat upon the dais
but at the common table.
"Te Deum"
Charles Reznikoff
Happy Thanksgiving!
I sing,
having none,
but for the common sunshine,
the breeze,
the largess of the spring.
Not for victory
but for the day's work done
as well as I was able;
not for a seat upon the dais
but at the common table.
"Te Deum"
Charles Reznikoff
Happy Thanksgiving!
look im famous
competitive filicide, wagers gone badly awry, betrayal, ineptitude of the ruling class — this nba season seems downright shakespearean so, i asked a shakespeare scholar to draw parallels to 6 of the most dramatic recent events in the league
huge thanks to @matthewharrison.bsky.social
huge thanks to @matthewharrison.bsky.social
The Bard knows ball
Matching recent NBA dramas with their Shakespearean equivalents.
www.basketballfeelings.com
November 26, 2025 at 3:03 PM
look im famous
Reposted by Matthew Harrison
I once asked a bookseller at a large indie store how many people would have to buy a book for it to get the attention of the store buyer and cause an additional order and they said: Three.
I see some book piracy discourse, and, to make a positive argument in favor of buying books, your marginal ability to influence what books get published and support the careers of writers you like is massive compared to most other forms of media.
November 25, 2025 at 11:07 PM
I once asked a bookseller at a large indie store how many people would have to buy a book for it to get the attention of the store buyer and cause an additional order and they said: Three.
any scholars of early modern hair care on here? i just realized they managed these curls without shampoo or conditioner.
Portraits of the Princes Palatine, Charles-Louis I, elector (1617-1680) & of his brother Robert (1619-1682)
Antony van Dyck, 1637 (Musée du Louvre)
Antony van Dyck, 1637 (Musée du Louvre)
November 25, 2025 at 1:56 PM
any scholars of early modern hair care on here? i just realized they managed these curls without shampoo or conditioner.
Priya Krishna's Saag with Feta Instead of Paneer (from Indianish) is a perfect Thanksgiving side: like a creamed spinach, but it adds spice and heat that the meal needs. www.epicurious.com/expert-advic...
November 25, 2025 at 1:55 PM
Priya Krishna's Saag with Feta Instead of Paneer (from Indianish) is a perfect Thanksgiving side: like a creamed spinach, but it adds spice and heat that the meal needs. www.epicurious.com/expert-advic...
when I was
a young man
my father
took me into the city
to see the black parade
He said son will
you play me
a mem’ry.
I’m not really
sure how it
goes, but it’s
sad and it’s
sweet and I
knew it complete
when I wore
a younger
man’s clothes
a young man
my father
took me into the city
to see the black parade
He said son will
you play me
a mem’ry.
I’m not really
sure how it
goes, but it’s
sad and it’s
sweet and I
knew it complete
when I wore
a younger
man’s clothes
November 22, 2025 at 6:26 PM
when I was
a young man
my father
took me into the city
to see the black parade
He said son will
you play me
a mem’ry.
I’m not really
sure how it
goes, but it’s
sad and it’s
sweet and I
knew it complete
when I wore
a younger
man’s clothes
a young man
my father
took me into the city
to see the black parade
He said son will
you play me
a mem’ry.
I’m not really
sure how it
goes, but it’s
sad and it’s
sweet and I
knew it complete
when I wore
a younger
man’s clothes
Reposted by Matthew Harrison
Someone is going to have the write the thing about how “vibe” has become a substitute for meaningful theory in a world where the theory is so clear — grift and power — but we collectively refuse if because it isn’t sophisticated enough to generate make work for empiricists.
November 22, 2025 at 1:12 PM
Someone is going to have the write the thing about how “vibe” has become a substitute for meaningful theory in a world where the theory is so clear — grift and power — but we collectively refuse if because it isn’t sophisticated enough to generate make work for empiricists.
Reposted by Matthew Harrison
This is a very specific request for y’all. Does anyone have a current photo of a ginkgo tree that has changed color to yellow for fall? When I lived in Cambridge and Boston there were so many pretty ones. Now that I live in Phoenix, I don’t get to see this transformation. I miss those trees!
November 22, 2025 at 4:06 AM
This is a very specific request for y’all. Does anyone have a current photo of a ginkgo tree that has changed color to yellow for fall? When I lived in Cambridge and Boston there were so many pretty ones. Now that I live in Phoenix, I don’t get to see this transformation. I miss those trees!
Reposted by Matthew Harrison
Looks like LLMs are *very* vulnerable to attack via poetic allusion: "curated poetic prompts yielded high attack-success rates (ASR), with some providers exceeding 90% ..."
https://arxiv.org/html/2511.15304v1
https://arxiv.org/html/2511.15304v1
November 20, 2025 at 5:06 PM
Looks like LLMs are *very* vulnerable to attack via poetic allusion: "curated poetic prompts yielded high attack-success rates (ASR), with some providers exceeding 90% ..."
https://arxiv.org/html/2511.15304v1
https://arxiv.org/html/2511.15304v1
Reposted by Matthew Harrison
Adam Elsheimer, The Artist in Despair, c. 1599, pen and brown ink, 71/8 x 75/8 in. (182 x 195 mm), Munich, Staatliche Graphische Sammlung
November 20, 2025 at 4:24 PM
Adam Elsheimer, The Artist in Despair, c. 1599, pen and brown ink, 71/8 x 75/8 in. (182 x 195 mm), Munich, Staatliche Graphische Sammlung
Reposted by Matthew Harrison
What this reveals is that for most people in charge right now “AI” is less useful as a technology than as a piece of language to shift a conversation in whatever direction they need it to go. In one minute it will propel a new economy; in another it’s the reason for a recession.
November 17, 2025 at 1:39 PM
What this reveals is that for most people in charge right now “AI” is less useful as a technology than as a piece of language to shift a conversation in whatever direction they need it to go. In one minute it will propel a new economy; in another it’s the reason for a recession.
got mad at a facebook post today. someone claimed the existence of a car pope in Cars 2 (2011) meant there was a car martin luther and a car reformation, and no it fucking doesn't.
like obviously there /was/ a car martin luther and a car reformation, but those facts are not logically entailed by..
like obviously there /was/ a car martin luther and a car reformation, but those facts are not logically entailed by..
November 19, 2025 at 10:11 PM
got mad at a facebook post today. someone claimed the existence of a car pope in Cars 2 (2011) meant there was a car martin luther and a car reformation, and no it fucking doesn't.
like obviously there /was/ a car martin luther and a car reformation, but those facts are not logically entailed by..
like obviously there /was/ a car martin luther and a car reformation, but those facts are not logically entailed by..
taught aereopagitica, and man. wow.
November 19, 2025 at 10:08 PM
taught aereopagitica, and man. wow.
the anthology i'm using is full of weird quirks and errors, but the publisher was super nice to me when i had a problem in 2017, so i guess i'm using it for another decade.
November 19, 2025 at 4:28 PM
the anthology i'm using is full of weird quirks and errors, but the publisher was super nice to me when i had a problem in 2017, so i guess i'm using it for another decade.
Reposted by Matthew Harrison
It may well be the case that small, independent presses are the lifeblood of literature, and a vital feature of our cultural landscape, providing an essential service in a complex ecosystem, like wrasses or shrimps. What is undeniably the case is that we have sold a total of five books this month.
November 18, 2025 at 7:36 PM
It may well be the case that small, independent presses are the lifeblood of literature, and a vital feature of our cultural landscape, providing an essential service in a complex ecosystem, like wrasses or shrimps. What is undeniably the case is that we have sold a total of five books this month.
Let’s eat the soup
November 19, 2025 at 12:53 AM
Let’s eat the soup
Reposted by Matthew Harrison
In 1582, a papal bull introduced the Gregorian calendar, still used today by most of the world. Because it’s 11 days ahead of the Julian calendar, countries introducing it simply skipped a third of October, and if you scroll back far enough in the iPhone calendar app you can see it change
December 31, 2024 at 2:41 PM
In 1582, a papal bull introduced the Gregorian calendar, still used today by most of the world. Because it’s 11 days ahead of the Julian calendar, countries introducing it simply skipped a third of October, and if you scroll back far enough in the iPhone calendar app you can see it change