New newsletter post! Part two in the series on New England's borders, including disputes over the northern border and two "what-might-have-been" maps. Please read and subscribe!
#NewEngland #Canda #maps #history
https://foundhistory.org/contingency-and-the-cartographic-making-of-new-england-part-2/
Contingency and the Cartographic Making of New England (Part 2)
In Part I, we explored how Southern New England’s borders emerged from surveying errors and charter conflicts. These disputes over the Southwick Jog, the Merrimack Bend, the Horse’s Neck, and the Pawcatuck Compromise were resolved through colonial negotiation, royal commissions, and local referendums. The stakes—which English colony
New "Briefly Noted" post: AI and disciplinary hierarchies; Mapping New England; Rethinking academic range; Ottoman archives unlocked; and more.
https://foundhistory.substack.com/p/briefly-noted-for-february-26-2026
Briefly Noted for February 26, 2026
AI and disciplinary hierarchies; Mapping New England; Rethinking academic range; Ottoman archives unlocked; and more.
The "useless" has become essential, and the "practical" has become automated. Maybe we should be more cautious about defunding fields just because we can't immediately see their application.
https://foundhistory.org/ai-inverts-the-disciplinary-hierarchy/
#HigherEd #AI
AI Inverts the Disciplinary Hierarchy
Maybe we should be more cautious about defunding fields just because we can't immediately see their application.
Contingency and the Cartographic Making of New England (Part I)
New England's borders aren't natural. They're historical accidents.
Briefly Noted for February 9, 2026
Trusting AI; Regional measles strategy; Moltbook’s agent ecologies; Why Socrates was right about AI; Knowledge-based literacy; and more.
The U.S. may lose its measles elimination status. But the surge isn't national. It's concentrated in a few states. The Southwest's rate is 15x the Northeast's.
Why this matters and why regional institutions should step up:
https://foundhistory.org/the-measles-crisis-is-regional-lets-keep-it-that-way/
#Measles #PublicHealth #NewEngland
The Measles Crisis Is Regional—Let's Keep It That Way
Measles is a national issue. It's not a national phenomenon.
What does it mean to trust Gemini with document transcription? How is trusting an AI different than trusting a human? My thoughts and a conversation with Claude.
#AI #Archives #DigitalHumanities #Transcription #Trust #Philosophy
https://foundhistory.org/trust-and-ai-a-conversation-with-claude/
Trust and AI: A Conversation with Claude
How is trusting AI different than trusting people?
The latest issue of Found History (Briefly Noted) is out! This week's stream:
🏛️ The medieval roots of the university
💰 Billionaires don't really believe in UBI
🔬 The myth of scientific "discovery"
📉 EnshittificationU
🪟 Lüften's OK but A/C isn't?
Read and subscribe at https://open.substack.com/pub/foundhistory/p/briefly-noted-for-january-28-2026?r=5jp13c&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
#highered #AI #UBI #histsci #MedievalHistory #luften
Briefly Noted for January 28, 2026
The medieval roots of the university; Billionaires don't really believe in UBI; The myth of scientific 'discovery'; EnshittificationU; Lüften's OK but A/C isn't? and more.
Universities are medieval institutions—slow by design, optimized for consensus, built to last. We may never satisfy modern demands for efficiency, but we may outlive them.
#highered #history
https://foundhistory.org/inefficient-by-design-how-medieval-values-shaped-todays-university/
Inefficient by Design: How Medieval Values Shaped Today's University
A nine-century case for being slow
Dan Cohen