Thanasis Kinias
@tkinias.bsky.social
Historian researching race & whiteness, late-19C/early-20C British Empire (esp Aus & Can), teaching broadly in world and European history.
Linux geek & SF nerd.
Views my own and likely ill-informed.
Linux geek & SF nerd.
Views my own and likely ill-informed.
Pinned
Thanasis Kinias
@tkinias.bsky.social
· Nov 28
Hi sky-folk! I’m a historian mostly here to reconnect with my professional network—the great community of #twitterstorians and other scholars we used to have at the old place.
I will likely block followers who have blank or otherwise sketchy-looking profiles. I’m sorry if this catches real people ☹️
I will likely block followers who have blank or otherwise sketchy-looking profiles. I’m sorry if this catches real people ☹️
Looking for resources for senior seminar students, TIL that there was a Spanish-language newspaper—El Evangelista mexicano—published in Nashville in the 1890s. < hndm.iib.unam.mx/consulta/pub... > 🗃️
HNDM-Publicación
Hemeroteca Nacional Digital de México.
hndm.iib.unam.mx
September 22, 2026 at 4:30 PM
Looking for resources for senior seminar students, TIL that there was a Spanish-language newspaper—El Evangelista mexicano—published in Nashville in the 1890s. < hndm.iib.unam.mx/consulta/pub... > 🗃️
Winter
Fall/Autumn
Spring
Summer
Fall/Autumn
Spring
Summer
Fall.
Winter.
Summer, Spring.
Seasonal joys in proportional order, I won't be taking any questions.
Winter.
Summer, Spring.
Seasonal joys in proportional order, I won't be taking any questions.
September 22, 2026 at 1:40 PM
Winter
Fall/Autumn
Spring
Summer
Fall/Autumn
Spring
Summer
Reposted by Thanasis Kinias
After all, what is the elaborate, quasi-millenniarian belief in Trump's eventual deliverance of all-healing medbeds but a disguised and distorted plea for universal healthcare?
September 22, 2026 at 12:13 PM
After all, what is the elaborate, quasi-millenniarian belief in Trump's eventual deliverance of all-healing medbeds but a disguised and distorted plea for universal healthcare?
Reposted by Thanasis Kinias
Whatever frustrations you feel about young adult students not reading, not following directions, and not trying to problem-solve before bleating for help, I ASSURE you that these things are just as common in a class of grown-ass middle & advanced age adults 🫠 It's NOT the youth, y'all, it's PEOPLE.
September 21, 2026 at 9:22 PM
Whatever frustrations you feel about young adult students not reading, not following directions, and not trying to problem-solve before bleating for help, I ASSURE you that these things are just as common in a class of grown-ass middle & advanced age adults 🫠 It's NOT the youth, y'all, it's PEOPLE.
Reposted by Thanasis Kinias
Can't remember exactly when it was I first saw a URL on an advertising hoarding, but yeah, whenever that was, a year before that...
If you could freeze the internet at one point in time, and you had to take all the losses and gains that that involved, no hybridisation etc, what year would you pick?
I'll start: 1997
I'll start: 1997
September 21, 2026 at 1:37 PM
Can't remember exactly when it was I first saw a URL on an advertising hoarding, but yeah, whenever that was, a year before that...
Reposted by Thanasis Kinias
Cold War lesson plan. Show this All-Star Comics #22 panel, published in 1944, and ask students to discuss - “Using textual and visual evidence, what do you notice?” When they are done discussing, ask them to look again at the text if no one noticed that “under God” is missing… research the change
September 21, 2026 at 12:49 PM
Cold War lesson plan. Show this All-Star Comics #22 panel, published in 1944, and ask students to discuss - “Using textual and visual evidence, what do you notice?” When they are done discussing, ask them to look again at the text if no one noticed that “under God” is missing… research the change
Reposted by Thanasis Kinias
I've learned that people get much more excited about my lectures when I include the word "dead" in the title.
"I'm lecturing on nuns tomorrow." Meh.
"I'm lecturing on dead nuns tomorrow." Well, tell me more.
(It's 17th century new France. All the non-nuns are also dead.)
"I'm lecturing on nuns tomorrow." Meh.
"I'm lecturing on dead nuns tomorrow." Well, tell me more.
(It's 17th century new France. All the non-nuns are also dead.)
September 21, 2026 at 2:04 AM
I've learned that people get much more excited about my lectures when I include the word "dead" in the title.
"I'm lecturing on nuns tomorrow." Meh.
"I'm lecturing on dead nuns tomorrow." Well, tell me more.
(It's 17th century new France. All the non-nuns are also dead.)
"I'm lecturing on nuns tomorrow." Meh.
"I'm lecturing on dead nuns tomorrow." Well, tell me more.
(It's 17th century new France. All the non-nuns are also dead.)
Reposted by Thanasis Kinias
And who says there’s no such thing as “national character”?
Americans: oh, look, a systemic issue. I will solve it individually
September 20, 2026 at 6:49 PM
And who says there’s no such thing as “national character”?
I’d also throw out there that I have students (first gen, working class) who drive something like 400 mi/wk to attend classes, commuting from small towns without public transportation. At $6/gal that is nontrivial—perhaps on the order of 2hr/wk of wages to pay for the increased fuel costs.
This is the same logic they used to push for a $5/mo minimum premium for ACA enrollees regardless of income.
"It's just $5/month! What's the big deal?"
When you only earn ~$2,000/mo, literally EVERY dollar counts.
$45/mo can mean the difference between having your electricity turned off or not.
"It's just $5/month! What's the big deal?"
When you only earn ~$2,000/mo, literally EVERY dollar counts.
$45/mo can mean the difference between having your electricity turned off or not.
Please run on this please Republicans this is a great message
September 20, 2026 at 9:23 PM
I’d also throw out there that I have students (first gen, working class) who drive something like 400 mi/wk to attend classes, commuting from small towns without public transportation. At $6/gal that is nontrivial—perhaps on the order of 2hr/wk of wages to pay for the increased fuel costs.
Reposted by Thanasis Kinias
Any antifascist out there have a full download of the VNN forum and other compiled DBs of posts?
I have stormfront and want to compare how they speak for a paper I'm writing.
I have stormfront and want to compare how they speak for a paper I'm writing.
September 20, 2026 at 8:23 PM
Any antifascist out there have a full download of the VNN forum and other compiled DBs of posts?
I have stormfront and want to compare how they speak for a paper I'm writing.
I have stormfront and want to compare how they speak for a paper I'm writing.
Reposted by Thanasis Kinias
The Butlerian Jihad will not be televised
September 20, 2026 at 8:28 PM
The Butlerian Jihad will not be televised
Weinersmith on near-term Mars colonization:
I think we could do it right now. It's just that it'd be a pointless waste of massive resources. But if it was a trillion dollars on war or a trillion dollars on getting a permanent Mars base I'd pick the second thing every time. I am just pro-realism, anti-hype.
September 20, 2026 at 9:04 PM
Weinersmith on near-term Mars colonization:
Reposted by Thanasis Kinias
The thing about actual Roman damnationes memoriarum is that they didn't really obliterate all memory of a bad emperor.
None of our sources are afraid to talk about these figures. It wasn't truly about forgetting the guy, but about abolishing his (positive) public commemoration.
None of our sources are afraid to talk about these figures. It wasn't truly about forgetting the guy, but about abolishing his (positive) public commemoration.
“Damnatio memoriae” sounds satisfying, especially to us Roman Empire obsessionists
We should tear down every building he built
But we can’t excise him from the historical record, Roman style, because he needs to be highlighted in perpetuity as the shining example of everything the Founders hated
We should tear down every building he built
But we can’t excise him from the historical record, Roman style, because he needs to be highlighted in perpetuity as the shining example of everything the Founders hated
September 20, 2026 at 7:17 PM
The thing about actual Roman damnationes memoriarum is that they didn't really obliterate all memory of a bad emperor.
None of our sources are afraid to talk about these figures. It wasn't truly about forgetting the guy, but about abolishing his (positive) public commemoration.
None of our sources are afraid to talk about these figures. It wasn't truly about forgetting the guy, but about abolishing his (positive) public commemoration.
Reposted by Thanasis Kinias
I can't wait to see the NYTimes both sides their own banning.
September 19, 2026 at 5:29 PM
I can't wait to see the NYTimes both sides their own banning.
WWII audiobook narrator: calls Dönitz “Doughnuts”
me: it’s gonna be a long war
me: it’s gonna be a long war
September 19, 2026 at 6:10 PM
WWII audiobook narrator: calls Dönitz “Doughnuts”
me: it’s gonna be a long war
me: it’s gonna be a long war
Reposted by Thanasis Kinias
Like, if I was Secretary of Defense, in charge of the most powerful, expensive, and complicated military on the planet, I would...exempt myself from running stairs with the Texas Aggies.
September 19, 2026 at 4:14 PM
Like, if I was Secretary of Defense, in charge of the most powerful, expensive, and complicated military on the planet, I would...exempt myself from running stairs with the Texas Aggies.
Reposted by Thanasis Kinias
1. The actually important things.
2. The unimportant things designed to distract.
3. The distracting things that are usefully joyful.
Reminding myself of these essential categories as I look at the news, and sort my weekend for work and etc.
2. The unimportant things designed to distract.
3. The distracting things that are usefully joyful.
Reminding myself of these essential categories as I look at the news, and sort my weekend for work and etc.
September 19, 2026 at 2:48 PM
1. The actually important things.
2. The unimportant things designed to distract.
3. The distracting things that are usefully joyful.
Reminding myself of these essential categories as I look at the news, and sort my weekend for work and etc.
2. The unimportant things designed to distract.
3. The distracting things that are usefully joyful.
Reminding myself of these essential categories as I look at the news, and sort my weekend for work and etc.
Reposted by Thanasis Kinias
There’s more to be said about the relationship between Pinker-style stardom and the state of academia. Not because academia is Woke, but because star systems loosen rigor at the top while solid scholarship becomes a dead end lower down. Shoddy celebrities and broke PhDs proceed from the same machine
September 19, 2026 at 1:58 PM
There’s more to be said about the relationship between Pinker-style stardom and the state of academia. Not because academia is Woke, but because star systems loosen rigor at the top while solid scholarship becomes a dead end lower down. Shoddy celebrities and broke PhDs proceed from the same machine
Reposted by Thanasis Kinias
new, sexy perfume just dropped. for a mere 3,000 tl you too can smell just like mithat paşa.
May 19, 2026 at 12:50 PM
new, sexy perfume just dropped. for a mere 3,000 tl you too can smell just like mithat paşa.
Reposted by Thanasis Kinias
When we talk about the costs that LLMs impose on society we should not forget the fact that nothing works anymore because everyone is so scared of getting their shit scraped.
I can't even use google scholar from my university or starlink because they send too much traffic.
I can't even use google scholar from my university or starlink because they send too much traffic.
September 19, 2026 at 4:35 AM
When we talk about the costs that LLMs impose on society we should not forget the fact that nothing works anymore because everyone is so scared of getting their shit scraped.
I can't even use google scholar from my university or starlink because they send too much traffic.
I can't even use google scholar from my university or starlink because they send too much traffic.
Reposted by Thanasis Kinias
People are wondering why it was so far inland but I assume it couldn't afford the Bay Area.
An adult humpback whale has been spotted in California's largest river.
A humpback whale was spotted in a California river, 60 miles from its Pacific Ocean home
An adult humpback whale has been spotted in California's largest river. A fisherman saw the whale surfacing on Wednesday while he was fishing from a boat that was less than half the length of the giant animal.
bit.ly
September 19, 2026 at 2:08 AM
People are wondering why it was so far inland but I assume it couldn't afford the Bay Area.
Reposted by Thanasis Kinias
Reposted by Thanasis Kinias
Colonel Petrov taught us it's bad to unquestionably trust a computer.
The U.S. military swung into action to intercept a Chinese ship after an “entirely false” AI-generated intelligence report inaccurately identified what the vessel was carrying
It also “almost started a war,” a source told CNN.
It also “almost started a war,” a source told CNN.
Exclusive: US military had close call after using AI for false intelligence report, sources say | CNN Politics
The episode shows the risks of using this new, relatively poorly understood technology in the middle of the Iran war
www.cnn.com
September 18, 2026 at 7:02 PM
Colonel Petrov taught us it's bad to unquestionably trust a computer.
Reposted by Thanasis Kinias
There are 28 operational data centers in Raleigh/Durham and 26 in Charlotte (with 10 more being built). I doubt any of them got the email I just did.
September 18, 2026 at 8:10 PM
There are 28 operational data centers in Raleigh/Durham and 26 in Charlotte (with 10 more being built). I doubt any of them got the email I just did.
Reposted by Thanasis Kinias
How I plan to enter the weekend, moving half-flying through my reality. Like this flying fish did in 1669. #weekendsky
August 21, 2026 at 7:13 AM
How I plan to enter the weekend, moving half-flying through my reality. Like this flying fish did in 1669. #weekendsky