Jochen F. Mayer
@jochenfm.bsky.social
Research Bid Dev Exec @edinburgh-uni.bsky.social's Research Office | Historian 20c. #histSTM @💚 | All things pre-electric data processing #histpaperwork, esp Nazi Germany | #histstats ~1900 | Views≠Employer's
Reposted by Jochen F. Mayer
“ICE isn’t the Gestapo. The Gestapo was…” (proceeds to describe qualities that apply to what ICE is currently doing)
January 20, 2026 at 5:45 PM
“ICE isn’t the Gestapo. The Gestapo was…” (proceeds to describe qualities that apply to what ICE is currently doing)
Reposted by Jochen F. Mayer
The End of www.digizeitschriften.de means that Deutsches Archiv für Erforschung des Mittelalters is no longer available online... @monumenta.bsky.social
www.digizeitschriften.de
January 16, 2026 at 4:15 PM
The End of www.digizeitschriften.de means that Deutsches Archiv für Erforschung des Mittelalters is no longer available online... @monumenta.bsky.social
Reposted by Jochen F. Mayer
EHRI fully supports the content of the open letter that many Holocaust memorial sites and places of learning in Germany and Austria have published on this important issue:
“Consistent action against AI-generated Holocaust distortions on social media platforms.”
www.ehri-project.eu/open-letter-...
“Consistent action against AI-generated Holocaust distortions on social media platforms.”
www.ehri-project.eu/open-letter-...
January 19, 2026 at 1:53 PM
EHRI fully supports the content of the open letter that many Holocaust memorial sites and places of learning in Germany and Austria have published on this important issue:
“Consistent action against AI-generated Holocaust distortions on social media platforms.”
www.ehri-project.eu/open-letter-...
“Consistent action against AI-generated Holocaust distortions on social media platforms.”
www.ehri-project.eu/open-letter-...
Reposted by Jochen F. Mayer
Wenn ihr "KI" als Werkezug bezeichnet, denkt daran, dass es auch (und nicht zufällig) Werkzeug der Monetarisierung und Trivialisierung von Leid, der Entwertung von historischer und Erinnerungsarbeit, der Errodierung historischer Glaubwürdigkeit und der politischen Emotionalisierung ist.
Der Kollege @thomasradlmaier.bsky.social hat in der SZ einen Artikel über den Offenen Brief der KZ-Gedenkstätten veröffentlicht zum Umgang mit KI-generierten Inhalten in sozialen Netzwerken. Eine wichtige Initiative der Gedenkstätten. Das Problem fängt aber mMn viel früher an.
1/2
1/2
KI-Bilder vom Holocaust in sozialen Medien: KZ-Gedenkstätten appellieren an Plattformbetreiber
Gedenkstätten, Museen und Erinnerungsinitiativen aus ganz Deutschland wehren sich gegen Geschichtsverfälschung durch KI-generierte Inhalte auf sozialen Medien.
www.sueddeutsche.de
January 16, 2026 at 11:04 AM
Wenn ihr "KI" als Werkezug bezeichnet, denkt daran, dass es auch (und nicht zufällig) Werkzeug der Monetarisierung und Trivialisierung von Leid, der Entwertung von historischer und Erinnerungsarbeit, der Errodierung historischer Glaubwürdigkeit und der politischen Emotionalisierung ist.
Reposted by Jochen F. Mayer
I had the pleasure of working with Denice Ross; read about how her national service continued well after her time at the White House: "more than a dozen groups have been working together to rescue environment and climate data—and...keep federal databases alive and accessible to the public."
January 17, 2026 at 8:26 PM
I had the pleasure of working with Denice Ross; read about how her national service continued well after her time at the White House: "more than a dozen groups have been working together to rescue environment and climate data—and...keep federal databases alive and accessible to the public."
Reposted by Jochen F. Mayer
I have some bad news. One, if you need to use ChatGPT for your graduate application letter, you are not ready for graduate school.
Two, no, not "everyone is doing it" and those who don't do it aren't "losing out." ChatGPT is not an advantage.
Two, no, not "everyone is doing it" and those who don't do it aren't "losing out." ChatGPT is not an advantage.
An impressive number of graduate applications this year used the phrase “curiosity-driven approach” 🤔
January 17, 2026 at 10:46 PM
I have some bad news. One, if you need to use ChatGPT for your graduate application letter, you are not ready for graduate school.
Two, no, not "everyone is doing it" and those who don't do it aren't "losing out." ChatGPT is not an advantage.
Two, no, not "everyone is doing it" and those who don't do it aren't "losing out." ChatGPT is not an advantage.
Reposted by Jochen F. Mayer
Two days ago it was Elissa Slotkin. Last week it was Jerome Powell. Before that, Mark Kelly. Weaponizing the justice system against your opponents is an authoritarian tactic.
The only person not being investigated for the shooting of Renee Good is the federal agent who shot her.
The only person not being investigated for the shooting of Renee Good is the federal agent who shot her.
Breaking news: The Justice Department has issued subpoenas for Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey as part of an investigation alleging that they are impeding federal law enforcement officers’ abilities to do their jobs in the state.
Justice Dept. launches criminal investigation of Minnesota governor
The Justice Department has issued subpoenas for Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey as part of an investigation into impeding law enforcement.
www.washingtonpost.com
January 16, 2026 at 11:46 PM
Two days ago it was Elissa Slotkin. Last week it was Jerome Powell. Before that, Mark Kelly. Weaponizing the justice system against your opponents is an authoritarian tactic.
The only person not being investigated for the shooting of Renee Good is the federal agent who shot her.
The only person not being investigated for the shooting of Renee Good is the federal agent who shot her.
Reposted by Jochen F. Mayer
Reposted by Jochen F. Mayer
Starting a new thread to collect critical perspectives on AI, as they are articulated dozens of times every day and appear repeatedly on my timeline. I can't read everything right away, but if, like me, you want to stay up to date, then this might help a bit:
September 11, 2025 at 7:02 AM
Starting a new thread to collect critical perspectives on AI, as they are articulated dozens of times every day and appear repeatedly on my timeline. I can't read everything right away, but if, like me, you want to stay up to date, then this might help a bit:
Reposted by Jochen F. Mayer
Hervorragende Analyse über USA-Grönland-EU.
Wußte nicht, daß Thiel & Co offenbar ernsthaft für ihre steuer-regulierungsfreien "Städte" Grönland ins Auge gefasst haben.
Und daß der US Botschafter in Dänemark zu dieser Gang gehört.
Anhören!
www.srf.ch/audio/tagesg...
Wußte nicht, daß Thiel & Co offenbar ernsthaft für ihre steuer-regulierungsfreien "Städte" Grönland ins Auge gefasst haben.
Und daß der US Botschafter in Dänemark zu dieser Gang gehört.
Anhören!
www.srf.ch/audio/tagesg...
Robert Habeck: «Wir leben in einer Welt der Raubtiere»
Der frühere deutsche Vizekanzler der Grünen ist heute Senior Analyst am Dänischen Institut für internationale Studien. In dieser Funktion beschäftigt er sich mit Grönland, welches zu Dänemark gehört. ...
www.srf.ch
January 13, 2026 at 3:34 PM
Hervorragende Analyse über USA-Grönland-EU.
Wußte nicht, daß Thiel & Co offenbar ernsthaft für ihre steuer-regulierungsfreien "Städte" Grönland ins Auge gefasst haben.
Und daß der US Botschafter in Dänemark zu dieser Gang gehört.
Anhören!
www.srf.ch/audio/tagesg...
Wußte nicht, daß Thiel & Co offenbar ernsthaft für ihre steuer-regulierungsfreien "Städte" Grönland ins Auge gefasst haben.
Und daß der US Botschafter in Dänemark zu dieser Gang gehört.
Anhören!
www.srf.ch/audio/tagesg...
Reposted by Jochen F. Mayer
Missing from the coverage of redundancies at Edinburgh: this was done in such a haphazard, uncoordinated way, there are now core teams who have gone from 5 people to 1 with no change in workload or pressure and huge loss in knowledge of institutional process. www.heraldscotland.com/news/2576321...
Hundreds of staff leave Edinburgh University amid cuts drive
According to the university, 345 of these departures were the result of a targeted voluntary severance (VS) scheme run by the institution in 2025.
www.heraldscotland.com
January 15, 2026 at 7:36 AM
Missing from the coverage of redundancies at Edinburgh: this was done in such a haphazard, uncoordinated way, there are now core teams who have gone from 5 people to 1 with no change in workload or pressure and huge loss in knowledge of institutional process. www.heraldscotland.com/news/2576321...
Reposted by Jochen F. Mayer
A decade ago, when Trump one the first time, I and other Black writers tried to make us see that racism — both explicit and deeply seeded — was at the root of Trump’s rise. We were dismissed even as late as last year as people attributed economic anxieties to Trump’s wins.
DO YOU BELIEVE US NOW?
DO YOU BELIEVE US NOW?
January 12, 2026 at 9:05 PM
A decade ago, when Trump one the first time, I and other Black writers tried to make us see that racism — both explicit and deeply seeded — was at the root of Trump’s rise. We were dismissed even as late as last year as people attributed economic anxieties to Trump’s wins.
DO YOU BELIEVE US NOW?
DO YOU BELIEVE US NOW?
Reposted by Jochen F. Mayer
Seeing Zohran instantly getting a bunch of shit done in like a week makes you realize that politicians could always do that on some level if they wanted it bad enough and very few of them actually do.
January 15, 2026 at 1:23 AM
Seeing Zohran instantly getting a bunch of shit done in like a week makes you realize that politicians could always do that on some level if they wanted it bad enough and very few of them actually do.
Reposted by Jochen F. Mayer
We are encouraged by the strong support of #AcademicFreedom shown by Jan Grabowski in the @juedischeonline.bsky.social and by many of our authors and leading historians in response to the attacks on our author G. Rossoliński-Liebe and his work Polnische Bürgermeister und der Holocaust.
#OpenLetter
#OpenLetter
I signed this open letter in support of Grzegorz Rossoliński-Liebe:
docs.google.com/document/d/1...
docs.google.com/document/d/1...
An Open Letter in Defense of Academic Freedom and the Historian Grzegorz Rossoliński-Liebe
An Open Letter in Defense of Academic Freedom and the Historian Grzegorz Rossoliński-Liebe We, the undersigned, protest against the state-sponsored defamatory attacks on the German-Polish Holocaust hi...
docs.google.com
January 13, 2026 at 7:25 PM
We are encouraged by the strong support of #AcademicFreedom shown by Jan Grabowski in the @juedischeonline.bsky.social and by many of our authors and leading historians in response to the attacks on our author G. Rossoliński-Liebe and his work Polnische Bürgermeister und der Holocaust.
#OpenLetter
#OpenLetter
Reposted by Jochen F. Mayer
Die @dfg.de erlaubt zukünftig KI-Einsatz bei Begutachtung & hat damit hier letzte Woche viel Empörung & Irritation hervorgerufen, m.E. zu Recht: KI-Nutzung droht immensen Schaden für Wissenschaft & Demokratie (!) anzurichten. Verantwortung auf Gutachter_innen abwälzen: keine Lösung. #ArbeitInDerWiss
Begutachtung mittels KI: Zur fragwürdigen Entscheidung der DFG
Sind die Werte, für die die DFG steht, damit vereinbar, KI für die Begutachtung oder Antragstellung zu nutzen? Ich bezweifle es -- warum, steht im heutigen Newsletter!
steady.page
January 13, 2026 at 8:03 AM
Die @dfg.de erlaubt zukünftig KI-Einsatz bei Begutachtung & hat damit hier letzte Woche viel Empörung & Irritation hervorgerufen, m.E. zu Recht: KI-Nutzung droht immensen Schaden für Wissenschaft & Demokratie (!) anzurichten. Verantwortung auf Gutachter_innen abwälzen: keine Lösung. #ArbeitInDerWiss
Reposted by Jochen F. Mayer
Why should historians be writing op-eds? @geraldo-cadava.bsky.social was spot on here 👇🗃️ #AHA26
“if you don’t say it with expertise, someone else will say it without expertise” - @geraldo-cadava.bsky.social #aha2026
January 9, 2026 at 10:48 PM
Why should historians be writing op-eds? @geraldo-cadava.bsky.social was spot on here 👇🗃️ #AHA26
Reposted by Jochen F. Mayer
Die öffentliche Debatte über "Künstliche Intelligenz" operiert mit einem Begriff, der verschleiert statt zu erhellen. Thread über den größten terminologischen Betrug der Tech-Geschichte. 🧵
January 9, 2026 at 6:51 AM
Die öffentliche Debatte über "Künstliche Intelligenz" operiert mit einem Begriff, der verschleiert statt zu erhellen. Thread über den größten terminologischen Betrug der Tech-Geschichte. 🧵
Reposted by Jochen F. Mayer
We've removed the paywall from this guide so everyone can access it. 👇 Stay safe.
Just days into 2026, the killing of 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good by a federal immigration officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota, has sparked protests around the US.
If you’re planning to protest, here’s how to safeguard your digital security.
If you’re planning to protest, here’s how to safeguard your digital security.
How to Protest Safely in the Age of Surveillance
Law enforcement has more tools than ever to track your movements and access your communications. Here’s how to protect your privacy if you plan to protest.
www.wired.com
January 8, 2026 at 6:35 PM
We've removed the paywall from this guide so everyone can access it. 👇 Stay safe.
Reposted by Jochen F. Mayer
Lotta people get mad at me when I criticize Democratic messaging but THIS IS HOW DEMOCRATS SHOULD BE TALKING. Like normal people using normal language to communicate normal human emotions about the fucked up situation.
THIS.
THIS.
Q: After you told ICE to get the F out, Republicans are criticizing you for escalating tensions
FREY: I'm sorry if I offered their Disney princess ears, but if we're talking about what's inflammatory, on one hand you got someone who dropped an F bomb & on other you have someone who killed someone
FREY: I'm sorry if I offered their Disney princess ears, but if we're talking about what's inflammatory, on one hand you got someone who dropped an F bomb & on other you have someone who killed someone
January 8, 2026 at 4:48 AM
Lotta people get mad at me when I criticize Democratic messaging but THIS IS HOW DEMOCRATS SHOULD BE TALKING. Like normal people using normal language to communicate normal human emotions about the fucked up situation.
THIS.
THIS.
Reposted by Jochen F. Mayer
DFG erlaubt Einsatz von KI in der Begutachtung.
Wenn wir jetzt noch die AI dazu kriegen, die komplette Forschung zu machen, haben wir den Menschen komplett von der Last des Forschungsprozzeses befreit und er kann sich komplett auf wichtige Dinge wie Reisekostenerstattungsanträge konzentrieren.
Wenn wir jetzt noch die AI dazu kriegen, die komplette Forschung zu machen, haben wir den Menschen komplett von der Last des Forschungsprozzeses befreit und er kann sich komplett auf wichtige Dinge wie Reisekostenerstattungsanträge konzentrieren.
Künstliche Intelligenz in der Begutachtung
www.dfg.de
January 8, 2026 at 10:16 AM
DFG erlaubt Einsatz von KI in der Begutachtung.
Wenn wir jetzt noch die AI dazu kriegen, die komplette Forschung zu machen, haben wir den Menschen komplett von der Last des Forschungsprozzeses befreit und er kann sich komplett auf wichtige Dinge wie Reisekostenerstattungsanträge konzentrieren.
Wenn wir jetzt noch die AI dazu kriegen, die komplette Forschung zu machen, haben wir den Menschen komplett von der Last des Forschungsprozzeses befreit und er kann sich komplett auf wichtige Dinge wie Reisekostenerstattungsanträge konzentrieren.
Reposted by Jochen F. Mayer
Blows my mind that some of the same journalists who see Trump as a want-to-be dictator at home are earnestly discussing the "challenges" for this same man to "bring democracy" to a country it just illegal invaded. Please grow up.
January 3, 2026 at 6:16 PM
Blows my mind that some of the same journalists who see Trump as a want-to-be dictator at home are earnestly discussing the "challenges" for this same man to "bring democracy" to a country it just illegal invaded. Please grow up.
Reposted by Jochen F. Mayer
To paraphrase Raoul Vaneigem, people who talk about Resonsible AI or Responsible Tech without referring to the need to restructure our political-economy for the common good and to socialise all infrastructure, such people have a corpse in their mouth.
January 3, 2026 at 1:13 PM
To paraphrase Raoul Vaneigem, people who talk about Resonsible AI or Responsible Tech without referring to the need to restructure our political-economy for the common good and to socialise all infrastructure, such people have a corpse in their mouth.
Reposted by Jochen F. Mayer
This short film was on my 'best of 2025' list:
Nicolas Gourault's fantastic short experimental documentary film «Their Eyes» about the invisible human labor behind AI, which we showed and discussed at our «React & Respond» conference in Zurich last year, is now streaming on the NYT website www.nytimes.com/2026/01/02/o...
Opinion | Self-Driving Cars Can’t See Without Their Eyes
www.nytimes.com
January 3, 2026 at 12:08 PM
This short film was on my 'best of 2025' list: