Sarah Barsness
@sarahbarsness.bsky.social
Digital archivist. Minnesotan. Giant nerd. Fiber artist. Sword fighter. Carb enthusiast.
Reposted by Sarah Barsness
we tracked months of rent payments to an estimated 13,000 families. the expected cost of rehousing those families, had they entered eviction, would be north of $218 million dollars. keeping them housed cost around $38-40 million
September 12, 2026 at 3:49 AM
we tracked months of rent payments to an estimated 13,000 families. the expected cost of rehousing those families, had they entered eviction, would be north of $218 million dollars. keeping them housed cost around $38-40 million
Reposted by Sarah Barsness
i am incredibly excited to share our research about how paying people’s rent through mutual aid made an impact on minnesota this year
we accidentally collected more data than anyone ever has for an effort like this, and can very seriously say we prevented an eviction bubble that everyone expected
we accidentally collected more data than anyone ever has for an effort like this, and can very seriously say we prevented an eviction bubble that everyone expected
Program's up!
30+ teams share evidence abt impacts on health, educ, & econ + community response. Great folks @ziibiing.com @ottergoose.net @aaronrosenthal.bsky.social @chrisuggen.bsky.social @casemcnich.bsky.social @ngraetz.bsky.social @craigstetter.bsky.social
docs.google.com/document/u/1...
30+ teams share evidence abt impacts on health, educ, & econ + community response. Great folks @ziibiing.com @ottergoose.net @aaronrosenthal.bsky.social @chrisuggen.bsky.social @casemcnich.bsky.social @ngraetz.bsky.social @craigstetter.bsky.social
docs.google.com/document/u/1...
September 12, 2026 at 3:39 AM
i am incredibly excited to share our research about how paying people’s rent through mutual aid made an impact on minnesota this year
we accidentally collected more data than anyone ever has for an effort like this, and can very seriously say we prevented an eviction bubble that everyone expected
we accidentally collected more data than anyone ever has for an effort like this, and can very seriously say we prevented an eviction bubble that everyone expected
Reposted by Sarah Barsness
we don’t teach young people short-term history, so it was weird when i realized that gen z had no idea that so many gen x and millennials spent our high school years protesting george w bush
and not just because of the wars, but because mosques were being targeted and sikh men were being attacked
and not just because of the wars, but because mosques were being targeted and sikh men were being attacked
There are already articles circulating trying to rewrite history and say America was great after 9/11 and united and thoughtful and just a reminder that that period was marked by intense and insanely racist hatred, paranoia, and a frothing desire for unhinged violence and oppression.
September 11, 2026 at 12:06 PM
we don’t teach young people short-term history, so it was weird when i realized that gen z had no idea that so many gen x and millennials spent our high school years protesting george w bush
and not just because of the wars, but because mosques were being targeted and sikh men were being attacked
and not just because of the wars, but because mosques were being targeted and sikh men were being attacked
This is absolutely true on both a logistical (governmental organization, policy) level and on a philosophical (political rhetoric, cultural discourse) level.
There is a direct line from 9/11 to Operation Metro Surge.
September 11, 2026 at 12:30 PM
This is absolutely true on both a logistical (governmental organization, policy) level and on a philosophical (political rhetoric, cultural discourse) level.
Reposted by Sarah Barsness
Bayeux Tapestry good but massively upstaged by seeing a cat in a ruff right before
September 10, 2026 at 8:57 PM
Bayeux Tapestry good but massively upstaged by seeing a cat in a ruff right before
I'm working on a task I've been struggling with & it's visible to colleagues (so embarassing), but they're lovely about it. As I'm waiting for my computer to do stuff, I take a peek at Bluesky and this is at the top of the TL. Just a perfect reminder that I also need to have patience with myself.
"I am trying to remind us that a lack of patience for the stuff that makes us flawed, stumbling human beings has consequences." This is so important. Watching people, as Hayes says, who *need* each other, police one another's feelings and throw each other away in so many conflicts is exhausting.
It really IS worth reading all the way through & sitting with in its entirety.
There's a LOT of folks in my community whom I wish would read & sit with & apply it not just to grief, but to other nuanced differences.
Can't put your hands on their shoulders & shake your opinion into them, though.
There's a LOT of folks in my community whom I wish would read & sit with & apply it not just to grief, but to other nuanced differences.
Can't put your hands on their shoulders & shake your opinion into them, though.
September 9, 2026 at 2:39 PM
I'm working on a task I've been struggling with & it's visible to colleagues (so embarassing), but they're lovely about it. As I'm waiting for my computer to do stuff, I take a peek at Bluesky and this is at the top of the TL. Just a perfect reminder that I also need to have patience with myself.
Reposted by Sarah Barsness
Reposted by Sarah Barsness
My accessible colour contrast checking tool now has a proper name: Battenburg.
https://battenburg.app/
Cuz the icon I made for it looks like the cross section of a Battenburg cake and I like to give my projects fun names.
https://battenburg.app/
Cuz the icon I made for it looks like the cross section of a Battenburg cake and I like to give my projects fun names.
Battenburg - WCAG contrast ratio color checker
A quick and simple tool for comparing an entire palette of colours for WCAG accessible contrast.
battenburg.app
September 8, 2026 at 12:23 PM
My accessible colour contrast checking tool now has a proper name: Battenburg.
https://battenburg.app/
Cuz the icon I made for it looks like the cross section of a Battenburg cake and I like to give my projects fun names.
https://battenburg.app/
Cuz the icon I made for it looks like the cross section of a Battenburg cake and I like to give my projects fun names.
Reposted by Sarah Barsness
Jesus Bitches
Spouse
Argentina, San Juan, Catholic Church Records, 1655-2013
Spouse
Argentina, San Juan, Catholic Church Records, 1655-2013
August 29, 2026 at 1:32 PM
Jesus Bitches
Spouse
Argentina, San Juan, Catholic Church Records, 1655-2013
Spouse
Argentina, San Juan, Catholic Church Records, 1655-2013
This is how we do in Minnesota.
We make art. We embrace kitsch and silliness. And (at least in my circles and especially since 2020) we don't shy away from uncomfortable truths, even if we come at them indirectly (that passive-aggressive vein runs deep).
This manages to do all of that at once.
We make art. We embrace kitsch and silliness. And (at least in my circles and especially since 2020) we don't shy away from uncomfortable truths, even if we come at them indirectly (that passive-aggressive vein runs deep).
This manages to do all of that at once.
Live report from the Minnesota State Fair, located in the heart of American democracy, where there’s an ICE Out adaptation of Picasso’s Guernica made entirely from crops
August 28, 2026 at 11:32 AM
This is how we do in Minnesota.
We make art. We embrace kitsch and silliness. And (at least in my circles and especially since 2020) we don't shy away from uncomfortable truths, even if we come at them indirectly (that passive-aggressive vein runs deep).
This manages to do all of that at once.
We make art. We embrace kitsch and silliness. And (at least in my circles and especially since 2020) we don't shy away from uncomfortable truths, even if we come at them indirectly (that passive-aggressive vein runs deep).
This manages to do all of that at once.
Reposted by Sarah Barsness
if someone tells you you don't need a union, you 100% need a union
Opinion | Postdocs Aren’t Burger Flippers: Why Unionization Is a Bad Idea
Unionization disrupts the bespoke mentor-mentee relationships that are central to the advancement of science. By Evan D. Morris: https://bit.ly/3Sus7fa
#EDUSky #AcademicSky #HigherEd
Unionization disrupts the bespoke mentor-mentee relationships that are central to the advancement of science. By Evan D. Morris: https://bit.ly/3Sus7fa
#EDUSky #AcademicSky #HigherEd
August 27, 2026 at 10:56 PM
if someone tells you you don't need a union, you 100% need a union
For non-MN folks, a beloved part of the fair is a pond outside the DNR building, stocked with native fish. It's got signs so you can learn to identify them and there are always at least 3 random middle-aged men who will happily tell you which "have some good eatin' on 'em."
August 27, 2026 at 11:19 AM
For non-MN folks, a beloved part of the fair is a pond outside the DNR building, stocked with native fish. It's got signs so you can learn to identify them and there are always at least 3 random middle-aged men who will happily tell you which "have some good eatin' on 'em."
Reposted by Sarah Barsness
a roof over every head
food in our stomachs
healthcare for all
bodily autonomy
freedom to love/marry who you want
safety to be yourself
freedom to worship, or to not
clear air, water, soil
safe roads
accessibility in all spaces
a living wage
fair taxes to fund the public good
our radical agenda
food in our stomachs
healthcare for all
bodily autonomy
freedom to love/marry who you want
safety to be yourself
freedom to worship, or to not
clear air, water, soil
safe roads
accessibility in all spaces
a living wage
fair taxes to fund the public good
our radical agenda
August 25, 2026 at 3:21 PM
a roof over every head
food in our stomachs
healthcare for all
bodily autonomy
freedom to love/marry who you want
safety to be yourself
freedom to worship, or to not
clear air, water, soil
safe roads
accessibility in all spaces
a living wage
fair taxes to fund the public good
our radical agenda
food in our stomachs
healthcare for all
bodily autonomy
freedom to love/marry who you want
safety to be yourself
freedom to worship, or to not
clear air, water, soil
safe roads
accessibility in all spaces
a living wage
fair taxes to fund the public good
our radical agenda
Reposted by Sarah Barsness
207 now, and #NeuroGLAM2026 is today!
Almost 200 people registered for NeuroGLAM 2026, happening this Friday!
Still time to register.
tru-ca.zoom.us/meeting/regi...
Still time to register.
tru-ca.zoom.us/meeting/regi...
Welcome! You are invited to join a meeting: NeuroGLAM 2026 - Hopepunk. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the meeting.
The theme of this year’s conference is Hopepunk: Neurodiversity, GLAM, and neurodivergent knowledge justice:
“Knowledge justice is based on the principle that each person has the equal capacity to be...
tru-ca.zoom.us
August 21, 2026 at 2:28 PM
207 now, and #NeuroGLAM2026 is today!
Reposted by Sarah Barsness
I'm sorry but "a huge number of NYC cabs now are remaindered EVs running grey market software written by some dude in a garage" is the most cyberpunk thing I've ever heard
I asked a driver how they service them since they’re no longer made. He said they have a guy they go to for all the software updates and all that. Even though, it has many missing typical car elements. (Like cruise control or power windows even I believe).
August 20, 2026 at 2:27 PM
I'm sorry but "a huge number of NYC cabs now are remaindered EVs running grey market software written by some dude in a garage" is the most cyberpunk thing I've ever heard
Reposted by Sarah Barsness
Not only do digital things not last forever, digital objects are even more fragile than physical ones! You can put a piece of paper on a shelf for a century, but you probably can't read a Unity project from 10 years ago
What’s a thing from your area of expertise (or special interest) that you think it would behoove everyone else to know?
August 19, 2026 at 5:53 PM
Not only do digital things not last forever, digital objects are even more fragile than physical ones! You can put a piece of paper on a shelf for a century, but you probably can't read a Unity project from 10 years ago
Reposted by Sarah Barsness
Just when I thought I couldn’t love MN Secretary of State Steve Simon more
When his family fosters kittens, I go over to help socialize them with my daughters (6 and 8 years old). Great guy!
August 17, 2026 at 8:50 PM
Just when I thought I couldn’t love MN Secretary of State Steve Simon more
A thread in which my professional world of IP rights meets my personal world, namely my deep and abiding love for Regency romance novels in which a previously normal guy has to become a duke due to inheritance stuff and he absolutely hates it.
Indulge me in a deep nerd-dive thread, inspired by a recent conversation with colleagues: it's impossible, legally, for someone to not have any heirs.
Anglo-american legal systems, at least, are set up with a strong bias towards property being owned.
Anglo-american legal systems, at least, are set up with a strong bias towards property being owned.
August 17, 2026 at 7:55 PM
A thread in which my professional world of IP rights meets my personal world, namely my deep and abiding love for Regency romance novels in which a previously normal guy has to become a duke due to inheritance stuff and he absolutely hates it.
Another solid reason to follow @infinitescream.bsky.social -- they somehow always manage to show up at just the right spots in my timeline.
August 17, 2026 at 3:23 PM
Another solid reason to follow @infinitescream.bsky.social -- they somehow always manage to show up at just the right spots in my timeline.
Reposted by Sarah Barsness
I keep trying to tell people that a website is a pony and you either have to keep feeding and cleaning up after it or put it down and there's usually no magic option where someone else handles all that.
Same goes for archives, but stakes & responsibility are heavier. Don't take it on lightly.
Same goes for archives, but stakes & responsibility are heavier. Don't take it on lightly.
I'm going to keep saying this until it's rote practice: If you are in official connection with let alone in charge of an archive of data, if is your professional & moral responsibility to secure that archive, as a backup or otherwise, against just such an emergency, so we're not Hoping some kid did.
Incredible. When E—n M—k & his crew obliterated USAID in a weekend, they deleted a vast trove of publicly-funded knowledge: the Development Experience Clearinghouse.
A Canadian high school student (!) happened to have downloaded the entire thing for a project. AidData has now posted it for all.
A Canadian high school student (!) happened to have downloaded the entire thing for a project. AidData has now posted it for all.
August 12, 2026 at 9:16 PM
I keep trying to tell people that a website is a pony and you either have to keep feeding and cleaning up after it or put it down and there's usually no magic option where someone else handles all that.
Same goes for archives, but stakes & responsibility are heavier. Don't take it on lightly.
Same goes for archives, but stakes & responsibility are heavier. Don't take it on lightly.
Reposted by Sarah Barsness
It’s a bold strategy. Let’s see if it works out for her.
Michele Tafoya: 'It's Embarrassing To Tell People' she's from Minnesota
Michele Tafoya: 'It's Embarrassing To Tell People' she's from Minnesota
www.yahoo.com
August 13, 2026 at 12:04 PM
It’s a bold strategy. Let’s see if it works out for her.
Reposted by Sarah Barsness
Grateful to live in a place where over 80% of my neighbors are smart enough not vote for someone who helped unleash ICE on our community.
Tonight’s results affirm what we all went through this year & sent a clear message that no matter how much money you spend on ads you can’t rewrite our history.
Tonight’s results affirm what we all went through this year & sent a clear message that no matter how much money you spend on ads you can’t rewrite our history.
August 12, 2026 at 7:47 AM
Grateful to live in a place where over 80% of my neighbors are smart enough not vote for someone who helped unleash ICE on our community.
Tonight’s results affirm what we all went through this year & sent a clear message that no matter how much money you spend on ads you can’t rewrite our history.
Tonight’s results affirm what we all went through this year & sent a clear message that no matter how much money you spend on ads you can’t rewrite our history.
No utilikilts in my suburban precinct, but this is pretty much the vibe. Shoutout to the kid who really wanted to "vote" so we gave them a sample ballot to fill out, it absolutely made my day.
Now for my election judge superlatives
Best Powderhorn character: the older gentleman wearing a rebel alliance uniform cap w a shiny gold rebel loon and a utilikilt
Worst polling place feature: no AC and fans so loud they sounded like helicopters 😭
Best snack: grapes that legit tasted like starburst
Best Powderhorn character: the older gentleman wearing a rebel alliance uniform cap w a shiny gold rebel loon and a utilikilt
Worst polling place feature: no AC and fans so loud they sounded like helicopters 😭
Best snack: grapes that legit tasted like starburst
Worked a 15 hour day today as a poll book specialist at the precinct that votes at the Powderhorn rec center and it was a real delight. I got to see lots of pals and so many families coming in w young kids which just all makes me so happy. We showed up for our neighbors and the results reflect that.
August 12, 2026 at 10:59 AM
No utilikilts in my suburban precinct, but this is pretty much the vibe. Shoutout to the kid who really wanted to "vote" so we gave them a sample ballot to fill out, it absolutely made my day.
Personally, I don't mind if you pick up an email thread months or even years later. It happens ALL THE TIME in archives. Sometimes you think you're ready to tackle something, but you find out (surprise!) it's way bigger & more complex & emotionally loaded than you originally thought. That's okay!
Oh, and also: we need to normalize shame jubilees. We should hit the point where someone sends you an five month old email and they're like, "Hey, I'm finally responding because I'm on my shame jubilee" and you're like "Oh, that's awesome, I'm so glad you're having one right now!"
August 4, 2026 at 11:26 AM
Personally, I don't mind if you pick up an email thread months or even years later. It happens ALL THE TIME in archives. Sometimes you think you're ready to tackle something, but you find out (surprise!) it's way bigger & more complex & emotionally loaded than you originally thought. That's okay!
local folks, do you Have Some Opinions about 694 between lexington and brooklyn blvd? i bet you do! share them with mndot: talk.dot.state.mn.us/i694-brookly...
I-694 study – Brooklyn Center to Arden Hills
Share your input by attending a virtual public meeting on Wed, Aug 12 or with an online survey and comment map through Tue, Aug 18. About this study We are studying I-694 between Brooklyn Blvd. in Bro...
talk.dot.state.mn.us
August 3, 2026 at 4:59 PM
local folks, do you Have Some Opinions about 694 between lexington and brooklyn blvd? i bet you do! share them with mndot: talk.dot.state.mn.us/i694-brookly...