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sparklebliss.bsky.social
Experience design, video game history, writing. Prof and associate dean @ Illinois Tech. Books: Coin-Operated Americans (Minnesota), Brenda Laurel (Bloomsbury), Historiographies of Game Studies (Punctum).
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I had an application in for a history of smart glasses that probably got thrown in the trash. Like 120 hours went into the application.

I completed dozens of hours of original documentary interviews with game developers, which created a massive archive on 1990s game history focused on the "games for girls" movement. I trained 5 students in research methods.

Boston considering its traditional methods of protest against tyranny at @teslatakedown.com this morning #TeslaTakedown

All federal employees must respond to an email from a Nigerian prince with their bank account number or risk being terminated.

People obsessed with being powerful do not understand soft power and so cannot wield it. Fulbright. USAID programs. Welcoming international tourists and students. All highly effective soft power.

I agree with this even though I'm mortified by typos.

Save your job with this ONE WEIRD TRICK Answer 'All of my activities are sensitive' to every email you get

I've worked with Holly in multiple capacities, and she's always been an excellent editor and total professional.

I once told a friend in engineering it's weird how much engineers care about fashion; she was sad that I got to wear "fun clothes." I said I get to because nobody in my field cares. She said engineers don't care, either, but if your wardrobe is restricted by that not caring, they actually care A LOT

Colleges have had to make plans about what order to euthanize the lab animals in because it is more humans than letting them starve, knowing we lose years of research either way, but sure, the real danger is ... Pronouns? Gender? I am not even sure.

New: An Americorps grantee (someone who runs a valuable government-funded social program) has sent me a copy of "Executive Order Compliance Instructions" that Americorps sent out yesterday ordering all grantees to certify that their programs don't "promote DEI activities." (thread)

Do you remember that time Pence tried to see Hamilton and the cast called him out. Or when McConnell was chased out of a resraurant and not allowed a peaceful meal. Or when Cruz abandoned Texas during the deep freeze and we shamed him into going home. That. Do that.

Holy crap this is COOL AF

Our turn DC

Here's a list of DOGE staff, assembled and annotated by my colleagues at BI. Whatever you do, please don't share it. www.businessinsider.com/doge-staff-l...

"What's Godzilla's phone number?" "I don't know. I don't think he has one." "BUT I WANT TO CALL GODZILLA." (We have a small Godzilla enthusiast in our household."

Jane Eyre *is* deliciously unhinged. Of Human Bondage has stuck with me for years and years. Frankenstein is like ... so so so good.

Erasure. At the National Institute of Health, posters of women and scientists of color have been taken down. Shared by @ivancalcantara.bsky.social

Please do call about this and what they are doing to NSF.

I started crying on the phone with Sen. Tammy Duckworth's office today, and the staffer was so kind to me. I appreciated that a lot.

The combination of fetishizing youthful intelligence while holding experts in contempt (see what is happening to the NSF) seems important here.

Ok, serious question: Which Democrat currently in national office would you bet on as best prepared to tackle Elon Musk?

🚨BREAKING. From a program officer at the National Science Foundation, a list of keywords that can cause a grant to be pulled. I will be sharing screenshots of these keywords along with a decision tree. Please share widely. This is a crisis for academic freedom & science.

!!!!

AAUP statement www.aaup.org/report/again...

Tiny thing to do: take your dollars to restaurants and other businesses that usually serve immigrant populations. Many have lost half or more of their business. abc7chicago.com/post/illinoi...

This week on the podcast, Drs. Jennifer deWinter and Carly Kocurek @sparklebliss.bsky.social tell us about the history and evolution of #videogames through the stories of its women pioneers. creators.spotify.com/pod/show/inf... Transcript: www.infinite-women.com/wp-content/u...

I am *extremely dubious* that calling these puffed up creeps "engineers" is accurate: Akash Bobba, Edward Coristine, Luke Farritor, Gautier Cole Killian, Gavin Kliger, and Ethan Shaotran. But, they could likely be replaced with thousands just like them.

Punch Nazis tabletop bundle! bundleofholding.com/presents/Res...

You could look up your local unhoused and underserved community resource group, Planned Parenthood, &c, & ask them what kind of help they need. Or search for other volunteer opportunities near you. Or even just talk or plan w/ friends about what you want to work at making different. Anything helps.

We have a coming soon page for the doc up at Kickstarter! Please sign up to be notified if you are interested in the project. It doesn't obligate you to anything, just means you get an email when we go live. www.kickstarter.com/projects/car...

Anyhow, I try to find small, concrete things to do so I can avoid panicking, so right now, that small thing is buying cookies from transgender Girl Scouts. As a bonus, I will also have cookies.