Res Obscura

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A very deep history of Halloween
Or, how far back can historical analysis take us?
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Benjamin Breen
4
Post-postal
What did we lose when we stopped writing letters?
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Benjamin Breen
2
On 17th century "cocaine"
A new analysis of mummified brains pushes back the timeline for the globalization of coca
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Benjamin Breen
10
Centuries of Childhood
The history of childhood is one of multiplicity — so why do we tell parents such simplistic stories about it?
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Benjamin Breen
5
LLM-based educational games will be a big deal
For the first time, digital games can make qualitative assessments of learning. Here's what that might look like.
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Benjamin Breen
2
Why etymologies matter
How tracing words can illuminate history
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Benjamin Breen
2
"He spoke of computers with some awe"
Margaret Mead, John von Neumann, and the prehistory of AI
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Benjamin Breen
6
How well can AI imitate an early modern doctor?
Arcadio Huang is ill in 1710s Paris. Can GPT-4 and Gemini find a cure?
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Benjamin Breen
3
The (history of) spice must flow
Why the spice trade is even more important for world history than you might have thought
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Benjamin Breen
12
Why drug history?
Drugs and spices play an outsized role in world history — but it's often a hidden one
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Benjamin Breen
6
I talked to Terry Gross!
A brief update about the publication of "Tripping on Utopia" before we return to regularly scheduled posting
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Benjamin Breen
7
Role-playing with AI will be a powerful tool for writers and educators
Or, how well can GPT-4 simulate an acid trip in 1963?
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Benjamin Breen
3
Simulating an LSD trip in 1963 with GPT-4
The question: how well can GPT-4 simulate a trip on LSD, specifically one in early 1960s Los Angeles? The answer… pretty damn well. Read on for the…
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Benjamin Breen
The most interesting things I read in 2023
Most of them are not from 2023
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Benjamin Breen
3
Res Obscura
Res Obscura
Notes on the history of technology, medicine, science, art, drugs, and empire. Also: AI in humanistic research and teaching.
Recommendations
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Humane AI
Humane AI
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Rat Park with Carl Erik Fisher
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Read Max
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Noted
Noted
Jillian Hess
Chartography
Chartography
RJ Andrews
Articles
Open-access PDFs of my academic publications
Books
Order "The Age of Intoxication"
My first book, on the early modern global drug trade (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2019)
Order "Tripping on Utopia"
My second book, on Margaret Mead and the history of psychedelic science in the 20th century.
© 2024 Benjamin Breen
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