It’s also a good reminder that fandoms often suck.

Same here. I’ve been a huge fan growing up on the originals since the 80s. The vitriol that came from a chunk of fandom is a pretty good example of why we can’t have nice things.

Funny thing is that there’s also a movie about vampires gentrifying a Brooklyn neighborhood.

LLMs aren’t exactly new though they’re a major feature of Generative AI. They “predict” based on patterns identified in a vast corpus of text used to “train” them. Think of how the Apple autocorrect and autofill works. These were pre-AI but based on LLMs.

Nara is definitely worth the visit. It has the ancient capital feel without the insane crowds of Kyoto. The national museum is also amazing.

One thing I've learned in more than 7 years in academia that campus leadership doesn't seem to understand that a "council" should actually involve deliberation among stakeholders and not simply occasional 2-hour sessions of patting ourselves on the back. At least the croissants are free.

a man with a beard and goggles is standing in front of a cloudy sky and says `` hello there '' . ALT: a man with a beard and goggles is standing in front of a cloudy sky and says `` hello there '' .

"The value of art is not how much it costs and how little effort it requires, it's how much you would risk to be in its presence"

I'm always surprised to see foreign exchange students here. If I had the chance, I'd like to ask them this:
What are you doing in California's Tatooine of all places? If there's a bright center in the universe, you're definitely on the planet it's farthest from.

‘Tis the age of 末法

There is such a thing as a "committee on committees" in the world of academia.

The "K-Pop Demon Hunters" soundtrack was playing on Merced's local radio station, which almost exclusively focuses on 80s-90s music. And I can't get "Soda Pop" unstuck from my head. It truly is the age of 末法.

I almost had a $3000 grant expire after sitting around unused for ten months because of the university's insistence on sticking to their own definitions and not bothering reading the grant agency's own words.

History isn’t about learning the supposed glories of the past; it’s about marveling over our never ending stupidity.

There seems to be a pattern here. Every time I talk about the collapse of an order in a historical era, whether it's the fall of the Ming Dynasty or the descent into the Genpei War in the Heian Period, something crazy happens.

For a time in Jeju, the English announcements were actually accurate. Then they "upgraded" to a robo announcement system so 함덕 (Hamdeok) wound up as "Ham-dee-ok" and 구좌 (Gujwa) wound up as "G-U-J-W-A" where each letter of the Romanization was spoken instead of the name.

Definitely true. My spouse was shocked at the low quality of Korean fried chicken in the US even at a shop part of a legitimate Korean franchise. The standards in the US are pretty low.

Two pieces of advice I give incoming freshmen:
1) Writing is a skill to be developed. Our writing often starts out as garbage. My writing as a student was also garbage, so don't be afraid to write.
2) Go to any campus event to score free food. Nothing is free beyond campus. Be shameless.

Or "Asian-inspired" anything for that matter.

I live in a mostly agricultural and conservative region in California. There’s more crime here than I have ever seen in Los Angeles.

Now that we have a Tangut language workshop hosted by the CMRS Center for Early Global Studies this summer, I'd definitely like to see workshops for 'Phags-pa, Khitan, or Jurchen.

McDonalds in Singapore and South Korea are by far better than any McDonalds here in Americastan.

A paradox of fools: people who go out of their way to waste their time to post a comment about how they "don't care" on some random media outlet that already clearly does not align with their political identity. Doesn't that in itself indicate that they actually care enough to waste their time?

Dear academics: if you’re going to contact me about a collaboration and if I respond positively in a prompt manner, don’t be an ass and ghost me. I get we’re all busy, but that doesn’t give you license to waste my time.

#booksky #writingcommunity

Certainly worth a read

E is for Ennui A philosophy webcomic about the inevitable anguish of living a brief life in an absurd world. Also Jokes

E is for Ennui
existentialcomics.com/comic/602

Mood today:

4 Copy Editors Killed In Ongoing AP Style, Chicago Manual Gang Violence

4 Copy Editors Killed In Ongoing AP Style, Chicago Manual Gang Violence
theonion.com/4-copy-...

New Yorker cartoon of a giant monster destroying a city, flames, people fleeing, and one man points to the monster and says "Quick! Somebody get Chuck Schumer to write a strongly worded letter." Cartoon by Jason Adam Katzenstein

Chuck Schumer makes it to the New Yorker cartoon section. And not in a good way. Chuck, this is your legacy unless you seriously step up.
@schumer.senate.gov