Assistant Teaching Professor of Tech & Prof Comm at University of Washington. Formerly: USU, CMU (PhD). Producer/co-host @reverb_cast. Tweets my own. He/him.
Seattle, WA
Joined May 2018
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We're back on @reverb_cast today with a new episode (recorded back in mid-May) analyzing the strange writing style and horrifying politics of Trump's newest counterterrorism strategy document, authored by the odious buffoon Sebastian Gorka.
(link in next tweet!)
Check out this new episode, in which Alex and I did a deep dive on the AI industry's involvement with the US military and broader moral questions about technology and war/imperialism.
teapawt.net/reverb_cast/status/203…
Calvin Pollak retweeted
New re:verb! 📢
In this ep (recorded early on 6/23), we confront the alarming reality of US strikes on Iran and ensuing escalation of tensions, in the context of decades of neoconservative influence & prior escalations like Soleimani's 2020 assassination.
reverbcast.com/podcasts/2025…
Calvin Pollak retweeted
We also discuss the AI hype cycle, the validity of arguments about job prospects for humanities grads, the importance of studying literature and culture for their own sake, and the ongoing need for Cultural Studies' tradition of critique.
Listen here:
reverbcast.com/podcasts/2026…
Calvin Pollak retweeted
We discuss the conspicuous use of the word "innovation" to launder controversial administrative changes with a seemingly apolitical positive spin. (Ironically, core CMU LCS faculty member Jeff Williams deftly critiqued this rhetoric about 10 years ago.)
dissentmagazine.org/article/…
Calvin Pollak retweeted
"Immediately after the ruling, [Tricia] McLaughlin urged Khalil to 'self-deport now before he is arrested, deported, and never given a chance to return.'"
It's appalling how this administration is abusing its power to deport a law abiding husband and father because Israel fanatics don't like his views. Of course, it's not surprising that the Third Circuit's abysmal and illogical decision has emboldened their tyrannical approach
On the latest @reverb_cast, we have the privilege of chatting with Dr. Sheila Liming (@seeshespeak) and Catherine Evans about the sunsetting of CMU's Literary and Cultural Studies program in favor of something called "Computational Cultural Studies" 🤔
(Link in tweet below!)
Sheila and Catherine did fabulous work in the article to analyze the rhetoric of "innovation" and "interdisciplinarity" being leveraged to legitimize a massive structural change with insufficient student and faculty input.
chronicle.com/article/a-coup…
It's been a while, but @reverb_cast is back this week with a new episode covering the University of Oklahoma writing assessment scandal. Was great to get back on the mic with Alex and explore a topic extremely in our wheelhouse.
(Link in next tweet!)
Calvin Pollak retweeted
LEAKED: Israel Is Considered a ‘Genocidal, Apartheid Country’ Abroad, According to Israel’s Own Research We Obtained dropsitenews.com/p/leaked-is…
Calvin Pollak retweeted
In its alleged fight against antisemitism, the Trump administration has relied on two groups with murky funders—one of which is in Israel.
Here's my deep dive into Canary Mission and Betar, two extreme Zionist groups at the heart of Trump's crackdown. thebaffler.com/latest/for-be…
Calvin Pollak retweeted
Breaking News: DOGE put the personal information of hundreds of millions of Americans at risk by uploading Social Security data to a vulnerable cloud server, a whistle-blower complaint said.
nyti.ms/3HUiQaP
Calvin Pollak retweeted
Israeli army database suggests at least 83% of Gaza dead were civilians
Classified intelligence from May reveals Israel believed it had killed ~8,900 militants in Gaza, indicating a proportion of civilian slaughter with few parallels in modern warfare.
972mag.com/israeli-intellige…
Calvin Pollak retweeted
The Incredible Disappearing Human Rights Reports
The State Department’s new reports whitewash the records of some of the world’s most notorious nations and targets Trump’s enemies.
theintercept.com/2025/08/14/…
Calvin Pollak retweeted
In this investigation we are exposing Israel’s so-called “legitimization cell”, which sought to label Gaza journalists as Hamas for ‘hasbara’ purposes: to counter media criticism over the army’s mass killing of reporters in Gaza.
972mag.com/israel-gaza-journ…
Why does this look like the Taylor Allderdice High School annex? #Allderdice #goDragons
teapawt.net/chrisjollyhale/status/…
Donald Trump and JD Vance are cutting food stamps and Medicaid, while building this monstrosity.
Readers added context they thought people might want to know
This is an AI-generated image and is not a real or official rendering of the planned addition to the White House. The image misrepresents the plan and does not accurately show the placement of the new building.
You can find real renderings of the expansion here:
x.com/WhiteHouse/sta…