Richard Higgins
@zen0effect.com
Software developer for libraries and academic research. Devoted to open source.
PhD-haver. Former contingent faculty in English and InfoSci. Fan of good metadata, long novels, and due process.
PhD-haver. Former contingent faculty in English and InfoSci. Fan of good metadata, long novels, and due process.
Pinned
Reposted by Richard Higgins
“The math is brutal and the juxtaposition stark: millions for OpenAI while pink slips go out to longtime lecturers. The CSU isn’t investing in education—it’s outsourcing it, paying premium prices for a chatbot many students were already using for free.“
www.currentaffairs.org/news/ai-is-d...
www.currentaffairs.org/news/ai-is-d...
AI is Destroying the University and Learning Itself
Students use AI to write papers, professors use AI to grade them, degrees become meaningless, and tech companies make fortunes. Welcome to the death of higher education.
www.currentaffairs.org
December 3, 2025 at 2:58 AM
“The math is brutal and the juxtaposition stark: millions for OpenAI while pink slips go out to longtime lecturers. The CSU isn’t investing in education—it’s outsourcing it, paying premium prices for a chatbot many students were already using for free.“
www.currentaffairs.org/news/ai-is-d...
www.currentaffairs.org/news/ai-is-d...
Reposted by Richard Higgins
Not sure if any single part of academia felt more like a weird cheat code than Interlibrary Loan. Like, I just say a book I want, basically any book, and this crack team of experts just *get it*????
December 3, 2025 at 3:05 AM
Not sure if any single part of academia felt more like a weird cheat code than Interlibrary Loan. Like, I just say a book I want, basically any book, and this crack team of experts just *get it*????
Reposted by Richard Higgins
JFC Oklahoma you fuckin cowards. Now every Jesus-freak right-wing student who can't get a passing grade for a bunch of bible quotes masquerading as an essay is going to file a 1st amendment complaint. You gonna suspend the whole Biology department for teaching about evolution? (Don't answer that)
OU has put the professor here on administrative leave:
November 30, 2025 at 9:37 PM
JFC Oklahoma you fuckin cowards. Now every Jesus-freak right-wing student who can't get a passing grade for a bunch of bible quotes masquerading as an essay is going to file a 1st amendment complaint. You gonna suspend the whole Biology department for teaching about evolution? (Don't answer that)
Reposted by Richard Higgins
Although DOGE occasionally pretended to modernize some computer system, the only non-vaporware changes to software they ever oversaw (mostly they didn't write the code themselves, just leaned on someone else to do so) were to remove "DEI" stuff from government websites
November 26, 2025 at 3:20 AM
Although DOGE occasionally pretended to modernize some computer system, the only non-vaporware changes to software they ever oversaw (mostly they didn't write the code themselves, just leaned on someone else to do so) were to remove "DEI" stuff from government websites
Introduce yourself with 5 concerts you've seen:
- Dinosaur Jr
- Melvins
- L7
- Meat Puppets
- Sleater-Keeney
- Dinosaur Jr
- Melvins
- L7
- Meat Puppets
- Sleater-Keeney
Introduce yourself with 5 concerts you've seen:
- Beauty Pill
- Broadcast
- Orbital
- Alton Ellis
- Atari Teenage Riot
- Beauty Pill
- Broadcast
- Orbital
- Alton Ellis
- Atari Teenage Riot
Introduce yourself with 5 concerts you've seen:
1. Polysics
2. Maximo Park
3. Brand New
4. Justin Bieber (Jaden Smith opened)
5. Manu Delago
1. Polysics
2. Maximo Park
3. Brand New
4. Justin Bieber (Jaden Smith opened)
5. Manu Delago
November 27, 2025 at 10:30 PM
Introduce yourself with 5 concerts you've seen:
- Dinosaur Jr
- Melvins
- L7
- Meat Puppets
- Sleater-Keeney
- Dinosaur Jr
- Melvins
- L7
- Meat Puppets
- Sleater-Keeney
Reposted by Richard Higgins
Court permanently blocks Trump's executive order to dismantle federal agency for America's libraries IMLS
librarytechnology.org/pr/31973
librarytechnology.org/pr/31973
Court permanently blocks Trump's executive order to dismantle federal agency for America's libraries
Press Release: Court permanently blocks Trump's executive order to dismantle federal agency for America's libraries. The U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island struck down the Trump Adm...
librarytechnology.org
November 22, 2025 at 3:00 PM
Court permanently blocks Trump's executive order to dismantle federal agency for America's libraries IMLS
librarytechnology.org/pr/31973
librarytechnology.org/pr/31973
Reposted by Richard Higgins
“Once you’ve seen how these systems are cobbled together – the biases, the rushed timelines, the constant compromises – you stop seeing AI as futuristic and start seeing it as fragile,” said Adio Dinika... “In my experience it’s always people who don’t understand AI who are enchanted by it.”
Meet the AI workers who tell their friends and family to stay away from AI
When the people making AI seem trustworthy are the ones who trust it the least, it shows that incentives for speed are overtaking safety, experts say
www.theguardian.com
November 23, 2025 at 1:57 PM
“Once you’ve seen how these systems are cobbled together – the biases, the rushed timelines, the constant compromises – you stop seeing AI as futuristic and start seeing it as fragile,” said Adio Dinika... “In my experience it’s always people who don’t understand AI who are enchanted by it.”
There's one thing I wanna know
What's so funny 'bout peace, love and understanding? Oh-oh
What's so funny 'bout peace, love and understanding?
What's so funny 'bout peace, love and understanding? Oh-oh
What's so funny 'bout peace, love and understanding?
November 23, 2025 at 3:57 AM
There's one thing I wanna know
What's so funny 'bout peace, love and understanding? Oh-oh
What's so funny 'bout peace, love and understanding?
What's so funny 'bout peace, love and understanding? Oh-oh
What's so funny 'bout peace, love and understanding?
Reposted by Richard Higgins
“Whatever you're meant to do, do it now. The conditions are always impossible.”
- Doris Lessing
- Doris Lessing
November 23, 2025 at 12:34 AM
“Whatever you're meant to do, do it now. The conditions are always impossible.”
- Doris Lessing
- Doris Lessing
Reposted by Richard Higgins
Stopping states from acting on AI will stop progress. www.eff.org/deeplinks/2...
The Trump Administration’s Order on AI Is Deeply Misguided
Widespread news reports indicate that President Donald Trump’s administration has prepared an executive order to punish states that have passed laws attempting to address harms from artificial
www.eff.org
November 22, 2025 at 10:58 PM
Stopping states from acting on AI will stop progress. www.eff.org/deeplinks/2...
Reposted by Richard Higgins
There goes Zohran again – normalizing Communism!
Working people have been left behind in New York. In the wealthiest city in the world, one in five can't afford $2.90 for the train or bus. As I told Trump today— it’s time to put those people right back at the heart of our politics.
November 21, 2025 at 11:01 PM
There goes Zohran again – normalizing Communism!
Reposted by Richard Higgins
Lol at NYT, after everything, having to roll with a smiling triumphant Mamdani looking down on Trump as lead story
November 21, 2025 at 10:35 PM
Lol at NYT, after everything, having to roll with a smiling triumphant Mamdani looking down on Trump as lead story
David Brooks misses by a mile.
Some thoughts on the case everyone is talking about and a response to David Brooks.
New Racket.
theracket.news/p/why-the-ep...
New Racket.
theracket.news/p/why-the-ep...
Why the Epstein case matters
Dismissing public interest in the Epstein case as heedless conspiracy-mongering ignores the power of the story.
theracket.news
November 21, 2025 at 11:00 PM
David Brooks misses by a mile.
Insecurity, fear, maybe bad faith. It's the thread to pull.
The insecurity of ultra-wealth is a core driver of our current politics, @joshtpm.bsky.social writes — "the tightly bound together mixture of insecurity and aggression which is at the center of everything."
talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/the-b...
talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/the-b...
The Brittle Grip of Ultra-Wealth
Just before I began writing this post, I saw this article from...
talkingpointsmemo.com
November 21, 2025 at 10:53 PM
Insecurity, fear, maybe bad faith. It's the thread to pull.
Reposted by Richard Higgins
The wealthiest people in this country just want to preserve their ability to be billionaires and to preserve their way of life
Everybody else in the country be damned #fightback #EndCitizensUnited
wapo.st/48nkqMN
Everybody else in the country be damned #fightback #EndCitizensUnited
wapo.st/48nkqMN
How billionaires took over American politics
The current concentration of wealth is unlike anything in history. So is billionaires’ involvement in politics.
wapo.st
November 21, 2025 at 6:37 PM
The wealthiest people in this country just want to preserve their ability to be billionaires and to preserve their way of life
Everybody else in the country be damned #fightback #EndCitizensUnited
wapo.st/48nkqMN
Everybody else in the country be damned #fightback #EndCitizensUnited
wapo.st/48nkqMN
Reposted by Richard Higgins
Not letting this one go
November 21, 2025 at 1:07 AM
Not letting this one go
I, too, am fond of the em dash. Better than the parenthesis.
November 21, 2025 at 12:58 AM
I, too, am fond of the em dash. Better than the parenthesis.
Look. If you make your product unusable without AI (like a certain tax app, or PC operating system), I'm not going to use it. And I do use AI at work, where it's "integrated," but not "necessary."
November 18, 2025 at 11:43 PM
Look. If you make your product unusable without AI (like a certain tax app, or PC operating system), I'm not going to use it. And I do use AI at work, where it's "integrated," but not "necessary."
Reposted by Richard Higgins
maybe this really is the year of Linux on the desktop
Microsoft warns Windows 11 agentic OS may face Xpia malware risks
Microsoft is pushing ahead with its plan to add agentic capabilities to Windows 11, but issued a security warning for anyone who is interested in trying it out.
www.windowscentral.com
November 18, 2025 at 11:00 PM
maybe this really is the year of Linux on the desktop
Reposted by Richard Higgins
When I think about how exquisitely careful NEH staff were to be fair, impartial, and rigorous, and how much work people put into grants so small they’re pocket change…I just want to scream.
Fired Scholars and Big Grants to Favored Projects: Inside Trump’s N.E.H.
www.nytimes.com
November 15, 2025 at 4:12 PM
When I think about how exquisitely careful NEH staff were to be fair, impartial, and rigorous, and how much work people put into grants so small they’re pocket change…I just want to scream.
Reposted by Richard Higgins
NEW from me: a new report found that national resistance to data centers skyrocketed between March and June of this year—especially in red states like Georgia and Indiana:
The Data Center Resistance Has Arrived
A new report finds that local opposition to data centers skyrocketed in the second quarter of this year.
www.wired.com
November 14, 2025 at 4:46 PM
NEW from me: a new report found that national resistance to data centers skyrocketed between March and June of this year—especially in red states like Georgia and Indiana:
Reposted by Richard Higgins
Several years ago, we put a whole bunch of data from a project into Wikidata. Now, as a result, some people who we had no more info for aside from a name or could not disambiguate are actually identifiable. LOD FTW.
November 14, 2025 at 1:57 PM
Several years ago, we put a whole bunch of data from a project into Wikidata. Now, as a result, some people who we had no more info for aside from a name or could not disambiguate are actually identifiable. LOD FTW.
Reposted by Richard Higgins
Empathy is the foundation of civilization.
"my least woke opinion is---"
That's enough. We've had enough people indulging in the "thrill of a little conservatism", as a treat. Of considering reactionary thought to be a salacious and taboo in a world descending into reactionary mania.
Give me your MOST woke opinions. We're bringing it back.
That's enough. We've had enough people indulging in the "thrill of a little conservatism", as a treat. Of considering reactionary thought to be a salacious and taboo in a world descending into reactionary mania.
Give me your MOST woke opinions. We're bringing it back.
November 14, 2025 at 2:09 PM
Empathy is the foundation of civilization.
Reading about the start of America's 19th-century civil war. Times were bleak ... oof
November 13, 2025 at 11:37 PM
Reading about the start of America's 19th-century civil war. Times were bleak ... oof