Michael Barany
@mbarany.com
Historical and cultural theories about maths and science theories. Fields Medal killjoy. Scotland enjoyer. @mbarany on birdsite and @[email protected] on fediverse
Pinned
Michael Barany
@mbarany.com
· Apr 17
Reading Between the Lines in the Barany Lab: Lessons on Written and Unwritten Science and Mathematics - International Journal of Peptide Research and Therapeutics
Purpose I reflect on my childhood experiences in the Barany Lab and connect them to several findings and themes from my subsequent career researching the history and culture of science and mathematics...
doi.org
I wrote a little essay in honor of my dad's retirement, "Reading Between the Lines in the Barany Lab" (open access) doi.org/10.1007/s109...
applied for math phd, math prof I mentioned in my proposal showed my app at coffee shop to friend in history dept, got an offer for history phd instead, became historian of math
As an undergraduate, I unintentionally won the “best overall paper” at a regional conference with graduate students. Oops.
I guess I should give this history thing a go?
I guess I should give this history thing a go?
What’s the lore behind choosing your career path ?
November 23, 2025 at 3:06 PM
applied for math phd, math prof I mentioned in my proposal showed my app at coffee shop to friend in history dept, got an offer for history phd instead, became historian of math
Reposted by Michael Barany
My critical edtech origin story is that I was in the process of becoming a Google-certified teacher when I began reading Audrey Watters and Chris Gilliard and then abandoned any desire to attach my identity to a tech company and while I've changed in the past 10 years Google definitely has not.
Feeling queasy now I've learned that Google is not only now offering Gemini ambassador certificates to teachers but also awarding students and *children* to be corporate AI mascots. Coercive normalization of commercialized digital education. blog.google/outreach-ini...
November 22, 2025 at 8:41 PM
My critical edtech origin story is that I was in the process of becoming a Google-certified teacher when I began reading Audrey Watters and Chris Gilliard and then abandoned any desire to attach my identity to a tech company and while I've changed in the past 10 years Google definitely has not.
Reposted by Michael Barany
new interview !
www.nybooks.com/online/2025/...
www.nybooks.com/online/2025/...
Runaway Short-Termism | Susannah Glickman, Nic Johnson
Since retaking the presidency in January, Donald Trump has initiated a blitz of chaotic, damaging economic policies. For months, as Nic Johnson wrote in
www.nybooks.com
November 22, 2025 at 12:01 PM
new interview !
www.nybooks.com/online/2025/...
www.nybooks.com/online/2025/...
Reposted by Michael Barany
That never really mattered, because orthodox economics isn’t about producing knowledge, it’s about reproducing entrenched wealth & power.
Maybe we are just on the precipice of another crisis out of which the orthodoxy will be born again, as it was in the 2010s, 1970s, 1940s, 1920s, 1880s, etc.
4/
Maybe we are just on the precipice of another crisis out of which the orthodoxy will be born again, as it was in the 2010s, 1970s, 1940s, 1920s, 1880s, etc.
4/
November 21, 2025 at 1:54 AM
That never really mattered, because orthodox economics isn’t about producing knowledge, it’s about reproducing entrenched wealth & power.
Maybe we are just on the precipice of another crisis out of which the orthodoxy will be born again, as it was in the 2010s, 1970s, 1940s, 1920s, 1880s, etc.
4/
Maybe we are just on the precipice of another crisis out of which the orthodoxy will be born again, as it was in the 2010s, 1970s, 1940s, 1920s, 1880s, etc.
4/
Reposted by Michael Barany
I want to extend my full support to staff threatened with compulsory redundancy at the University of Edinburgh.
I have today written to the Principal imploring him to change direction.
I have today written to the Principal imploring him to change direction.
November 19, 2025 at 3:43 PM
I want to extend my full support to staff threatened with compulsory redundancy at the University of Edinburgh.
I have today written to the Principal imploring him to change direction.
I have today written to the Principal imploring him to change direction.
Reposted by Michael Barany
Good opportunity for an evergreen reminder: if you ever want to read something academic behind a paywall, email the author and ask for it, they will probably be absolutely delighted to send it to you. I know I will!
November 19, 2025 at 2:53 PM
Good opportunity for an evergreen reminder: if you ever want to read something academic behind a paywall, email the author and ask for it, they will probably be absolutely delighted to send it to you. I know I will!
Reposted by Michael Barany
Great turn out at @ucuedinburgh.bsky.social rally at the Scottish Parliament!
November 19, 2025 at 1:07 PM
Great turn out at @ucuedinburgh.bsky.social rally at the Scottish Parliament!
Reposted by Michael Barany
November 19, 2025 at 11:00 AM
Reposted by Michael Barany
A soggy morning challenging damaging cuts with my @ucuedinburgh.bsky.social colleagues at Old College.
Read about the dispute here:
www.ucuedinburgh.org.uk/industrial-d...
#ucu #StopTheCuts
Read about the dispute here:
www.ucuedinburgh.org.uk/industrial-d...
#ucu #StopTheCuts
November 18, 2025 at 1:00 PM
A soggy morning challenging damaging cuts with my @ucuedinburgh.bsky.social colleagues at Old College.
Read about the dispute here:
www.ucuedinburgh.org.uk/industrial-d...
#ucu #StopTheCuts
Read about the dispute here:
www.ucuedinburgh.org.uk/industrial-d...
#ucu #StopTheCuts
Reposted by Michael Barany
Universities across the world from the US to the UK to Australia and Canada, are now "led" by an interchangeable Global Admin class who swap places every couple of years. Their blandness, lack of local roots and commitments, and general third-tier-CEO vibes are their main feature, not a bug. 2/4
November 16, 2025 at 2:43 PM
Universities across the world from the US to the UK to Australia and Canada, are now "led" by an interchangeable Global Admin class who swap places every couple of years. Their blandness, lack of local roots and commitments, and general third-tier-CEO vibes are their main feature, not a bug. 2/4
Reposted by Michael Barany
A modest proposal for university leadership: over the past 50 years local and federal governments gave up funding them enough to do their jobs. So leadership had to become a wing of fundraising: boards and presidents were there to please donors. But we haven't drawn the logical conclusion: 1/4
i remain shocked at just how badly elite higher ed admins have stewarded universities. these presidents and chancellors and provosts, supposedly accomplished people, have collectively overseen a staggering nationwide collapse in every respect.
One reason why elite schools (Columbia, Brown, Cornell) caving to Trump’s illegal impoundment and extortion is so galling — a betrayal, really — is that they would have won had they fought. By giving up, they guaranteed every other school will have to fight harder.
November 16, 2025 at 2:40 PM
A modest proposal for university leadership: over the past 50 years local and federal governments gave up funding them enough to do their jobs. So leadership had to become a wing of fundraising: boards and presidents were there to please donors. But we haven't drawn the logical conclusion: 1/4
Reposted by Michael Barany
I mostly tilt at other windmills, but academics don’t have to participate in this economy. It’s a choice. You could make a different choice. you could do it tomorrow.
Elsevier has a 38% profit margin, and the other journal publishers aren't far behind.
"academic publishing is dominated by profit-oriented, multinational companies for whom scientific knowledge is a commodity to be sold back to the academic community who created it... The dominant four collectively generated... $12 billion in profits between 2019 and 2024."
November 18, 2025 at 12:38 PM
I mostly tilt at other windmills, but academics don’t have to participate in this economy. It’s a choice. You could make a different choice. you could do it tomorrow.
Reposted by Michael Barany
#Edinburgh colleagues, remember to contact your MSPs and MP to make them aware of the vandalism senior management are threatening at UoE through compulsory redundancies! #UKHE
Don't cross the picket line!
We are on strike because of UoE's budget cuts that have and will affect students and staff.
We are striking for a better university, join us!
#StopTheCuts
We are on strike because of UoE's budget cuts that have and will affect students and staff.
We are striking for a better university, join us!
#StopTheCuts
November 18, 2025 at 11:21 AM
#Edinburgh colleagues, remember to contact your MSPs and MP to make them aware of the vandalism senior management are threatening at UoE through compulsory redundancies! #UKHE
Reposted by Michael Barany
Strike day 2 of the @ucuedinburgh.bsky.social strike at the University of #Edinburgh . I am very glad that I cut the grass on strike day 1, because today is horrid and wet. Will probably do a LOT of very overdue vacuum cleanering.
Strike day tasks so far:
(*) Grumpy email to principal sent
(*) Grumpy email to MP/MSP sent
(*) Bed stripped and remade
(*) Load of woollens washed
(*) Grumpy email to principal sent
(*) Grumpy email to MP/MSP sent
(*) Bed stripped and remade
(*) Load of woollens washed
Hello, fellow @ucuedinburgh.bsky.social members, and welcome to the first of three strike days. I am striking from home for personal reasons, but am with you on the picket line in spirit. Three trillion boos to the principal and his cronies!
(tagging @ucu.org.uk )
(tagging @ucu.org.uk )
November 18, 2025 at 10:05 AM
Strike day 2 of the @ucuedinburgh.bsky.social strike at the University of #Edinburgh . I am very glad that I cut the grass on strike day 1, because today is horrid and wet. Will probably do a LOT of very overdue vacuum cleanering.
Reposted by Michael Barany
‘We know there is no deficit’: University of Edinburgh staff on ongoing strike action
thetab.com/2025/11/17/e...
thetab.com/2025/11/17/e...
'We know there is no deficit': University of Edinburgh staff on ongoing strike action
The Edinburgh Tab spoke to UCU members taking part in the three days of strike action regarding university finances and threatened department closures
thetab.com
November 18, 2025 at 10:06 AM
‘We know there is no deficit’: University of Edinburgh staff on ongoing strike action
thetab.com/2025/11/17/e...
thetab.com/2025/11/17/e...
Reposted by Michael Barany
Pickets all over Edinburgh this morning! From Old College to King's Building, Edinburgh UCU staff are saying NO to job cuts!
November 17, 2025 at 11:53 AM
Pickets all over Edinburgh this morning! From Old College to King's Building, Edinburgh UCU staff are saying NO to job cuts!
Reposted by Michael Barany
Staff is currently striking here at the University of Edinburgh. Senior management is planning widespread compulsory redundancies (without a real need for the same). You can read more here @ucuedinburgh.bsky.social www.ucuedinburgh.org.uk/blog/rd72kte...
A message to our students about the upcoming strike, 17-19 November 2025 — UCU Edinburgh
Dear students, UCU Edinburgh will again be going on strike Monday 17th, Tuesday 18th and Wednesday 19th November as a result of University management’s refusal to commit to no compulsory redundancie...
www.ucuedinburgh.org.uk
November 18, 2025 at 8:02 AM
Staff is currently striking here at the University of Edinburgh. Senior management is planning widespread compulsory redundancies (without a real need for the same). You can read more here @ucuedinburgh.bsky.social www.ucuedinburgh.org.uk/blog/rd72kte...
In an absolutely baffling exchange as a journal assoc editor where @springernature.com says they categorically cannot share their article license template with the author before the final acceptance/production. Author needs this for funder compliance.
November 17, 2025 at 11:30 AM
In an absolutely baffling exchange as a journal assoc editor where @springernature.com says they categorically cannot share their article license template with the author before the final acceptance/production. Author needs this for funder compliance.
Top five algorithms:
Sequential enumeration
Swap
For-loop
Macarena
GOTO
Honourable mention for Bubble Sort which is mostly just a remix of the first three.
Sequential enumeration
Swap
For-loop
Macarena
GOTO
Honourable mention for Bubble Sort which is mostly just a remix of the first three.
Top five algorithms:
Mp3 encoding
FFT
Freaking N-dimensional convolution, truly based stuff
Runge-kutta 4th
Z-transform
Not sure i'd call any of them beautiful but there's some clever stuff going on
Mp3 encoding
FFT
Freaking N-dimensional convolution, truly based stuff
Runge-kutta 4th
Z-transform
Not sure i'd call any of them beautiful but there's some clever stuff going on
I'm right on board with this. There's tons of beautiful stuff to be done with algorithms that have nothing to do with LLM slop.
November 16, 2025 at 9:05 PM
Top five algorithms:
Sequential enumeration
Swap
For-loop
Macarena
GOTO
Honourable mention for Bubble Sort which is mostly just a remix of the first three.
Sequential enumeration
Swap
For-loop
Macarena
GOTO
Honourable mention for Bubble Sort which is mostly just a remix of the first three.
what I love more than all the patients smoking right in front of the big No Smoking signs at the hospital is all the staff smoking right in front of the big No Smoking signs at the hospital
November 16, 2025 at 9:43 AM
what I love more than all the patients smoking right in front of the big No Smoking signs at the hospital is all the staff smoking right in front of the big No Smoking signs at the hospital
Reposted by Michael Barany
It's always eugenics....
November 15, 2025 at 5:30 AM
It's always eugenics....
spellcheck failing on the best Scottish word
November 13, 2025 at 10:54 PM
spellcheck failing on the best Scottish word
Reposted by Michael Barany
I asked about this, and one of our excellent librarians discovered that in fact AI summaries/"Research Assistant" can be switched off at the level of the library. Something to request. support.proquest.com/s/article/Eb...
November 11, 2025 at 9:44 PM
I asked about this, and one of our excellent librarians discovered that in fact AI summaries/"Research Assistant" can be switched off at the level of the library. Something to request. support.proquest.com/s/article/Eb...
just continually amazed that my uni has an apparently well-funded thing called The Binks Hub and it is impossible (I've tried! many ways!) to find out who or what the "Binks" in the title is
November 11, 2025 at 11:09 AM
just continually amazed that my uni has an apparently well-funded thing called The Binks Hub and it is impossible (I've tried! many ways!) to find out who or what the "Binks" in the title is
Reposted by Michael Barany
Hoping this helps our colleagues across the industry
November 5, 2025 at 1:01 PM
Hoping this helps our colleagues across the industry