Notices by Sheril Kirshenbaum (sheril@mastodon.social)

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"You have to know the past to understand the present."
- Carl Sagan

In an age of rapid social, political, environmental & technological change, the humanities are among the few tools we possess for distinguishing what is genuinely unprecedented from what we have forgotten. And they remain our most reliable compass for navigating the future.

A case for why the humanities are more essential than ever: https://sheril.substack.com/p/science-isnt-enough #science

Squee! Tiny blue octopus discovered off the Galápagos Islands! 🐙 https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/tiny-alien-like-blue-octopus-discovered-lurking-off-the-galapagos-islands/ #science

“We see a future where intelligence is a utility, like electricity or water & people buy it from us on a meter.”

- Sam Altman

As someone whose books were taken without permission to train OpenAI, I have a problem with this.

How can a company claim to own work it didn’t create & sell it back to us?

https://gizmodo.com/sam-altman-says-intelligence-will-be-a-utility-and-hes-just-the-man-to-collect-the-bills-2000732953

“This study shows that…. nostalgia evoked by Studio Ghibli films significantly foster a sense of exploration and calm in life, as well as a feeling of mastery and skill, and purpose and meaning, hence ultimately contributing positively to one’s overall happiness in life. https://games.jmir.org/2025/1/e76522 #art

“Penn was quick to tell me he does not know much about many things. But he is an expert in misleading people.

‘I am bringing this to you w the utmost humility. I am carny trash. I am uneducated. [My] position of expertise is that I have lied to ppl onstage & gotten them to believe it. I think I could do what that police officer did.’”

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/16/us/politics/the-docket-supreme-court-penn-teller.html?unlocked_article_code=1.cVA.ljzO.LDTwAdYmcWqj&smid=nytcore-ios-share

In a first last month, renewables supplied more power to the U.S. than natural gas, a milestone in the shift to clean energy. https://e360.yale.edu/digest/us-renewables-natural-gas-coal?x-craft-preview=a09812a6e2e9e7d28862011a5e524ea3825e4eb19935e5d62bd015bf8aad5b17jlgvmkmfep&token=ab6uY3d0bvQLOfY03Aj2W99kZSP_e9zG #climate

Brought my son to see Rent & the story is still as incredible & timely as ever.

It’s interesting to consider the parallel between the changing media environment of the 90s spurred by the Internet with today’s AI transition.

As a native New Yorker & teen when it first debuted, I’ve always felt a special connection with this one.

Glad my 13yo could experience it too. Sparked good conversations. Angel was ahead of her time. #art

This map shows the cost of charging an EV at home across the U.S. Home-charging is significantly cheaper in all 50 states than fueling a car with gasoline.

Source: Yale https://yaleclimateconnections.org/2026/04/whats-cheaper-fueling-your-car-with-gas-or-electricity/ #energy #uspol

See which jobs are most threatened by #AI and who may be able to adapt 🤔
https://wapo.st/4uvCpcY

Unscientific America in 2026 https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/03/cynical-gullible-american-man/686079/ If only we could have seen this coming… oh wait.

"Do you think it's inappropriate in any way that someone w/ no experience w/ grants for the federal government was making personal judgment calls about what grants to cancel?" an attorney asked.

"Um, no. I don't think it's inappropriate," Cavanaugh said, arguing that he did not need formal education or experience to make informed judgments. 🤔

https://abcnews.com/Politics/2-doge-staffers-regrets-people-losing-income-reduce/story?id=131050170 #science #uspol

🙄

#SuperbOwl you say? Well okay then!

“Fear not the those without papers, but those without conscience.”

- Amanda Gorman, For Alex Jeffrey Pretti, Murdered by I.C.E January 24, 2026

Most ppl know me for work in science & policy, but in college, my other major was classical #history & literature.

I view the present moment through this lens, understanding that the world map has always been dynamic. Borders shift, empires rise and fall, societies transform.

Only by studying the humanities - the disciplines so many ppl in power now regularly dismiss - can we hope to learn from the past & chart a more hopeful future.

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting has voted to dissolve after Republicans rescinded $1.1B at President Trump’s behest.

This ends the 58-year-old agency that distributed federal funds to NPR, PBS and more than 1,500 local public radio & television stations. https://apple.news/AXdo2-zPuRCiJSiIVd3DXSg #uspol #news

Surrounded by Waymos (self-driving cars).

“You're an interesting species, an interesting mix. You're capable of such beautiful dreams & such horrible nightmares. You feel so lost, so cut off, so alone, only you're not. See, in all our searching, the only thing we found that makes the emptiness bearable, each other.”

- Carl Sagan, Contact

May we find peace, health, and change in 2026 ✨