Jamie Cohen-Cole
@jcohencole.bsky.social
Hist Sci/Med/Tech. Views are personal and not on behalf of any university #histsci
Reposted by Jamie Cohen-Cole
A more dignified political commentator would not make fun of David Axelrod for being such a doofus on X-the-everything-app.
But I just can't resist a wide-open dunk.
davekarpf.beehiiv.com/p/new-post-0...
But I just can't resist a wide-open dunk.
davekarpf.beehiiv.com/p/new-post-0...
<eyeroll> C'mon, Axelrod...
Don't say
davekarpf.beehiiv.com
August 19, 2026 at 8:56 PM
A more dignified political commentator would not make fun of David Axelrod for being such a doofus on X-the-everything-app.
But I just can't resist a wide-open dunk.
davekarpf.beehiiv.com/p/new-post-0...
But I just can't resist a wide-open dunk.
davekarpf.beehiiv.com/p/new-post-0...
Reposted by Jamie Cohen-Cole
Wonderful news! OSIRIS, vol. 41: Histories of Science and Childhoods is FINALLY out! The hope is that this is just initial steps, sparking further research into and engagement with the intricately interwoven worlds of the child and science.
www.journals.uchicago.edu/toc/osiris/2...
www.journals.uchicago.edu/toc/osiris/2...
Osiris | Vol 41, No null
www.journals.uchicago.edu
July 31, 2026 at 12:51 AM
Wonderful news! OSIRIS, vol. 41: Histories of Science and Childhoods is FINALLY out! The hope is that this is just initial steps, sparking further research into and engagement with the intricately interwoven worlds of the child and science.
www.journals.uchicago.edu/toc/osiris/2...
www.journals.uchicago.edu/toc/osiris/2...
Reposted by Jamie Cohen-Cole
My American Historical Review article about 19th-century African American doctor James McCune Smith has been published. Download it for FREE: doi.org/10.1093/ahr/...
#history #blackhistory #data #womenshistory #histmed #histsci #bookhistory #STS @africanarchives.bsky.social
#history #blackhistory #data #womenshistory #histmed #histsci #bookhistory #STS @africanarchives.bsky.social
The Moral Doctor: Datafication, Activism, and the Early Medical Career of James McCune Smith in Late Georgian Scotland
Abstract. In the summer of 1836, the clinicians of Glasgow’s Lock Hospital treated the impoverished female patients with a painful new drug. The negative i
doi.org
July 27, 2026 at 9:24 AM
My American Historical Review article about 19th-century African American doctor James McCune Smith has been published. Download it for FREE: doi.org/10.1093/ahr/...
#history #blackhistory #data #womenshistory #histmed #histsci #bookhistory #STS @africanarchives.bsky.social
#history #blackhistory #data #womenshistory #histmed #histsci #bookhistory #STS @africanarchives.bsky.social
Reposted by Jamie Cohen-Cole
JOB ALERT: Come work with me in the History Department and Africana Studies Program at Carleton! We are hiring a TT assistant professor in African history. The position is open to all geographical and thematical subfields in African history. 🗃️ #EduSky #Blackademics africanstudies.org/jobs/tenure-...
Tenure-Track Professorship, Carleton College Department of History and Program in Africana Studies
Start Date: September 1, 2027 African History. Carleton College’s Department of History and Program in Africana Studies seekapplications for a […]
africanstudies.org
July 2, 2026 at 4:47 PM
JOB ALERT: Come work with me in the History Department and Africana Studies Program at Carleton! We are hiring a TT assistant professor in African history. The position is open to all geographical and thematical subfields in African history. 🗃️ #EduSky #Blackademics africanstudies.org/jobs/tenure-...
Reposted by Jamie Cohen-Cole
I’ve spent more than a year reporting on how the fossil fuel industry has infiltrated academia over the last 30 years, shaping fundamental paradigms on how to address climate change.
My first story in the new @propublica.org and @drilledmedia.bsky.social series, “Carbon Captured”, is out today.
My first story in the new @propublica.org and @drilledmedia.bsky.social series, “Carbon Captured”, is out today.
NEW: This is the story of how one of the most influential climate papers in history came to exist thanks to one of the companies most responsible for causing the climate crisis — and one with a financial stake in the technologies described in the paper.
w/ @drilledmedia.bsky.social
w/ @drilledmedia.bsky.social
Beyond Denial: How Oil Execs Shaped a Landmark Climate Study
BP sponsored an elite Princeton research center to address the climate problem without getting off fossil fuels. Its key work, a paper known as “Wedges,” guided climate discourse for a generation.
www.propublica.org
June 25, 2026 at 1:35 PM
I’ve spent more than a year reporting on how the fossil fuel industry has infiltrated academia over the last 30 years, shaping fundamental paradigms on how to address climate change.
My first story in the new @propublica.org and @drilledmedia.bsky.social series, “Carbon Captured”, is out today.
My first story in the new @propublica.org and @drilledmedia.bsky.social series, “Carbon Captured”, is out today.
Reposted by Jamie Cohen-Cole
Once again tapping the book cover
May 24, 2026 at 8:14 PM
Once again tapping the book cover
Reposted by Jamie Cohen-Cole
Three things said about AI and social science: it's a topic to study, a thing to critique, a tool to use. My new Daedalus essay argues these aren't three conversations; they're one. A 🧵 on "Field Theory: AI as Social Science Question, Object, and Tool."
www.amacad.org/publication/...
www.amacad.org/publication/...
Field Theory: AI as Social Science Question, Object & Tool
Uses of advanced artificial intelligence are changing how societies organize labor, govern, produce knowledge, and make meaning. In light of these developments, this essay argues that AI models, tools...
www.amacad.org
May 21, 2026 at 4:36 PM
Three things said about AI and social science: it's a topic to study, a thing to critique, a tool to use. My new Daedalus essay argues these aren't three conversations; they're one. A 🧵 on "Field Theory: AI as Social Science Question, Object, and Tool."
www.amacad.org/publication/...
www.amacad.org/publication/...
Reposted by Jamie Cohen-Cole
It's publication day for The Broken Machine (@mitpress.bsky.social)! The book explores the intertwined histories of breaking machines, social order, and the self in the modern Atlantic, revealing how failing technologies have also shaped our world. mitpress.mit.edu/978026255334...
#sts #histtech
#sts #histtech
May 19, 2026 at 1:57 PM
It's publication day for The Broken Machine (@mitpress.bsky.social)! The book explores the intertwined histories of breaking machines, social order, and the self in the modern Atlantic, revealing how failing technologies have also shaped our world. mitpress.mit.edu/978026255334...
#sts #histtech
#sts #histtech
Reposted by Jamie Cohen-Cole
Funny how people complain that the new arXiv policy is too harsh. If anything, it's still way too lenient. Getting caught with AI slop should result in a permanent, publicly viewable (in the form of a hall of shame) ban and retroactive redaction of all previous arXiv submissions.
#AcademicSky
(1/4)
#AcademicSky
(1/4)
May 17, 2026 at 6:14 PM
Funny how people complain that the new arXiv policy is too harsh. If anything, it's still way too lenient. Getting caught with AI slop should result in a permanent, publicly viewable (in the form of a hall of shame) ban and retroactive redaction of all previous arXiv submissions.
#AcademicSky
(1/4)
#AcademicSky
(1/4)
Reposted by Jamie Cohen-Cole
Preprinted! Been working on this for ~1 year w wonderful coauthors Nancy & Mark:
> Understanding Artificial Neural Networks: Mysterianism about Known Mechanism is Mysticism
doi.org/10.5281/zeno...
Have you noticed many experts say they don't understand AI? What's going on? 🤯 Let us tell you...
1/
> Understanding Artificial Neural Networks: Mysterianism about Known Mechanism is Mysticism
doi.org/10.5281/zeno...
Have you noticed many experts say they don't understand AI? What's going on? 🤯 Let us tell you...
1/
May 8, 2026 at 11:42 AM
Preprinted! Been working on this for ~1 year w wonderful coauthors Nancy & Mark:
> Understanding Artificial Neural Networks: Mysterianism about Known Mechanism is Mysticism
doi.org/10.5281/zeno...
Have you noticed many experts say they don't understand AI? What's going on? 🤯 Let us tell you...
1/
> Understanding Artificial Neural Networks: Mysterianism about Known Mechanism is Mysticism
doi.org/10.5281/zeno...
Have you noticed many experts say they don't understand AI? What's going on? 🤯 Let us tell you...
1/
Reposted by Jamie Cohen-Cole
Reposted by Jamie Cohen-Cole
Last weekend I received the Troland Research Award from the @nationalacademies.org. I’m so grateful to the communities who made this work possible.
It's strange to receive this award at a time when much of the work being recognized is not eligible for federal funding.
My remarks 👇 and a 🧵>>
It's strange to receive this award at a time when much of the work being recognized is not eligible for federal funding.
My remarks 👇 and a 🧵>>
NAS 163rd Annual Meeting - Awards Ceremony
YouTube video by National Academy of Sciences
www.youtube.com
May 2, 2026 at 1:32 PM
Last weekend I received the Troland Research Award from the @nationalacademies.org. I’m so grateful to the communities who made this work possible.
It's strange to receive this award at a time when much of the work being recognized is not eligible for federal funding.
My remarks 👇 and a 🧵>>
It's strange to receive this award at a time when much of the work being recognized is not eligible for federal funding.
My remarks 👇 and a 🧵>>
Reposted by Jamie Cohen-Cole
The summer semester just started here in Berlin, which means our annual speaker series is about to kick off. If you're in the area, feel free to join us at the JFK Institute for any (or all) of these colloquium sessions (Wednesdays at 4pm). Link:
www.jfki.fu-berlin.de/en/faculty/l...
www.jfki.fu-berlin.de/en/faculty/l...
April 15, 2026 at 12:46 PM
The summer semester just started here in Berlin, which means our annual speaker series is about to kick off. If you're in the area, feel free to join us at the JFK Institute for any (or all) of these colloquium sessions (Wednesdays at 4pm). Link:
www.jfki.fu-berlin.de/en/faculty/l...
www.jfki.fu-berlin.de/en/faculty/l...
Reposted by Jamie Cohen-Cole
WHAT WE KNOW, 11pm:
—Liberals flip seat on Wisconsin supreme court.
—Also flip important school board seats in WI, OK, MO.
—Dems win Waukesha mayor race.
—GOP defends MTG's seat, but Dems way overperform.
—Big MO county rejects property tax freeze.
—Liberals flip seat on Wisconsin supreme court.
—Also flip important school board seats in WI, OK, MO.
—Dems win Waukesha mayor race.
—GOP defends MTG's seat, but Dems way overperform.
—Big MO county rejects property tax freeze.
April 8, 2026 at 2:57 AM
WHAT WE KNOW, 11pm:
—Liberals flip seat on Wisconsin supreme court.
—Also flip important school board seats in WI, OK, MO.
—Dems win Waukesha mayor race.
—GOP defends MTG's seat, but Dems way overperform.
—Big MO county rejects property tax freeze.
—Liberals flip seat on Wisconsin supreme court.
—Also flip important school board seats in WI, OK, MO.
—Dems win Waukesha mayor race.
—GOP defends MTG's seat, but Dems way overperform.
—Big MO county rejects property tax freeze.
Reposted by Jamie Cohen-Cole
Alt text: a function to match negative keywords.
Instead of using the large language model which it literally is, a constant called negativePattern that is just a shitty 2000's forum style regex of cuss words: looking for the word shit(ty|ttiest) or (shit|crap|junk) or what the (fuck|hell|fucking)
Instead of using the large language model which it literally is, a constant called negativePattern that is just a shitty 2000's forum style regex of cuss words: looking for the word shit(ty|ttiest) or (shit|crap|junk) or what the (fuck|hell|fucking)
OMG. It made code that uses regexp to check for negative language. Something that LLMs were architecturally designed to do.
This is hilarious when people think AI is conscious, this is AI failing the smudge test in the most hilarious way...
This is hilarious when people think AI is conscious, this is AI failing the smudge test in the most hilarious way...
April 2, 2026 at 8:52 AM
Alt text: a function to match negative keywords.
Instead of using the large language model which it literally is, a constant called negativePattern that is just a shitty 2000's forum style regex of cuss words: looking for the word shit(ty|ttiest) or (shit|crap|junk) or what the (fuck|hell|fucking)
Instead of using the large language model which it literally is, a constant called negativePattern that is just a shitty 2000's forum style regex of cuss words: looking for the word shit(ty|ttiest) or (shit|crap|junk) or what the (fuck|hell|fucking)
Reposted by Jamie Cohen-Cole
Congratulations to The Drift’s Senior Editor @erikmbaker.bsky.social! His book, “Make Your Own Job,” just won the 2026 Merle Curti Intellectual History Award from the Organization of American Historians.
www.oah.org/2026/03/26/o...
www.oah.org/2026/03/26/o...
March 26, 2026 at 6:07 PM
Congratulations to The Drift’s Senior Editor @erikmbaker.bsky.social! His book, “Make Your Own Job,” just won the 2026 Merle Curti Intellectual History Award from the Organization of American Historians.
www.oah.org/2026/03/26/o...
www.oah.org/2026/03/26/o...
The answer is to amend the constitution of the AHA, striking VII.4 (which allows vetoes) and adding a new part of V.2 with a mechanism for membership to place something on the agenda even over objection of the council-it could be like a discharge petition (eg on the Epstein files.)
Last week the @historians.org Council decided to deny its members the opportunity to vote on two resolutions—one in solidarity with Gaza and one condemning the sustained assault on “core principles of education” in the US and abroad—at the organization’s conference next month. 1/ 🗃️
December 5, 2025 at 11:53 PM
The answer is to amend the constitution of the AHA, striking VII.4 (which allows vetoes) and adding a new part of V.2 with a mechanism for membership to place something on the agenda even over objection of the council-it could be like a discharge petition (eg on the Epstein files.)
Reposted by Jamie Cohen-Cole
Back in the late 1960s, Mondale proposed creating a national Council of Social Advisers, which would draw on social science to support a liberal reform agenda. This initiative's failure symbolized the collapsing faith in the possibility of well-informed progressive state muse.jhu.edu/pub/56/artic...
Project MUSE - Closing the Domestic Intelligence Gap: Walter Mondale’s Proposal for a National Council of Social Advisers and the Uneasy Partnership between Social Science and the Federal Government
muse.jhu.edu
October 19, 2025 at 1:19 PM
Back in the late 1960s, Mondale proposed creating a national Council of Social Advisers, which would draw on social science to support a liberal reform agenda. This initiative's failure symbolized the collapsing faith in the possibility of well-informed progressive state muse.jhu.edu/pub/56/artic...
Reposted by Jamie Cohen-Cole
With great joy—and a touch of nervousness—I’m thrilled to share that my first academic monograph will be published by @mitpress.bsky.social in May 2026! It examines the organism–environment relationship in biology from an integrated #HPS perspective: mitpress.mit.edu/978026205282... #evosky #philsky
The Organism-Environment Pairing
In this first systematic book-length examination of the organism-environment relationship in the life sciences, Alejandro Fábregas-Tejeda addresses a crucia...
mitpress.mit.edu
August 21, 2025 at 2:20 PM
With great joy—and a touch of nervousness—I’m thrilled to share that my first academic monograph will be published by @mitpress.bsky.social in May 2026! It examines the organism–environment relationship in biology from an integrated #HPS perspective: mitpress.mit.edu/978026205282... #evosky #philsky
Reposted by Jamie Cohen-Cole
Silicon Valley is a creature of the Cold War, nourished for decades at the trough of funding provided by the DoD.
August 5, 2025 at 4:33 PM
Silicon Valley is a creature of the Cold War, nourished for decades at the trough of funding provided by the DoD.
Reposted by Jamie Cohen-Cole
A social sciences and humanities reading list on AI in education 🧵
February 9, 2025 at 12:00 AM
A social sciences and humanities reading list on AI in education 🧵