Jen Howard

We must choose to resist!

Why on earth would I want to take this quiz in the first place, NYT?

‘I wish I could push ChatGPT off a cliff’: professors scramble to save critical thinking in an age of AI As AI has upended the way students learn, academics worry about the future of the humanities - and society at large

"We can decide that we want to be human.” www.theguardian.com/technology/n...

Happy pub day to @stagewrite.bsky.social, whose fascinating investigation of the secrets and stories behind Ernest Toller's death mask is out today! #BookSky 📚 #newbooks

I'm glad my kids (now in their early twenties) are old enough to remember a little of the optimism of that era, so they know that America can be different than it is right now.

Thought I would have gotten used to it by now, but I’m still grappling with the realization of just how stupid the men running this country are.

To be fair to Flush, EBB sounds like a handful too.

Funny, I don't remember the teacher discussing EBB's drug use. :)

I had to read that in 9th grade English! My first exposure to VW.

It does seem like literary prizes have changed in terms of being useful discovery tools. MT is the first Lively I've read. I might dive into her children's books next.

Thank you, Aaron! I owe you a cup of coffee. :)

It's been a while since I liked a book so much that I wanted to hug it after reading it, but I really did hug "Moon Tiger" by Penelope Lively when I finished it yesterday. Thank you to whichever wise person at @capitolhillbooks.bsky.social decided to put it on the "Bangers" shelf. 🙏 #BookSky 📚

When DOGE Unleashed ChatGPT on the Humanities

This Jenny Schuessler deep dive into the ChatGPT-enabled DOGE-ing of NEH is, however, well worth using a gift link for. www.nytimes.com/2026/03/07/a... [gift link] #humanities #NEH

But perhaps it will amuse someone out there.

Opinion | Your salted caramel mocha latte is destroying society Edmund Burke would have had thoughts about the consumption of that vanilla sweet cream nitro cold brew.

I honestly can't tell whether this is satire. If it is, let's just say it's not a stellar example. If it's not, well, I feel bad for the writer. wapo.st/4s2SSUu [gift link, though why I bothered wasting a gift link on this I don't know. Maybe I need a fancy coffee.]

When all the other time travelers are busy killing Hitler, I’m gonna take out Laura Ingalls Wilder.

Long-delayed Jan. 6 plaque honoring police installed in Capitol at 4 a.m. The memorial honoring officers who defended the Capitol was required by law to be installed by March 2023.

Finally (and literally close to home for me): wapo.st/4cuFG5Q [gift link]

Spanish Pardina Lentil Stew (Lentejas) Pardina lentils are used in all kinds of dishes in Spain, including Lentejas, a rustic stew that has become a national dish.  1/2 pound dried Rancho Gordo Pardina Lentils 2 tablespoons olive oil 3 gar...

This is the recipe. Next time I might try adding some tempeh bacon or veggie sausage, but the stew was great on its own. www.ranchogordo.com/blogs/recipe...

I’ve been making new-to-me recipes from the Rancho Gordo Bean Club. A recent fave: a version of Lentejas, a rustic stew featuring pardina lentils, which have a nicely earthy vibe.

Good.

Thousands of public comments slam Trump’s ballroom: ‘I did not vote for this’ A Post analysis of submitted comments found more than 97 percent were critical of the planned 90,000-square-foot addition. The White House has defended it as necessary.

About that planned ballroom ... the people have spoken and THEY DO NOT LIKE IT. wapo.st/40QuXvf #historicpreservation #whitehouseballroom

One was a pharmacist who owned a neighborhood drugstore in Richmond, VA; the other was an engineer who built schools and bridges in western Massachusetts.

👀

A man asked me last night what publishing needs to do for literary fiction to begin appealing to men again. I said, as nicely as I could, that, with over 2,000 books published every Tuesday, of which many would appeal to men, it’s not a publishing problem, it’s a men problem.

Sigh. The crafty grandmas and aunties in my family always had bags for their yarn, crochet hooks, etc. Everything old is new (and trendy) again. “Analog bag” makes me think of a go bag—and maybe the point is to escape digital tech…

Doesn’t get more analog than that.

Throw “maxxing” in there and it’s like chum in the water for a certain type.

😂

pile of circle stickers that say "Everything is better with footnotes." With a footnote callout to me.

Reordered these. Bc the world.

Can 'friction-maxxing' fix your focus? With technology offering instant gratification and quick thrills, experts explain how adding friction to our day-to-day can help heal our attention span and deepen our sense of self.

The term "friction-maxxing" makes me roll my eyes, as does the phrase "analogue hobbies" (hello old friends like reading, gardening, and crafting), but some food for thought here. www.bbc.com/future/artic...