Medieval Printing (and why LLMs are crap) with Sonja Drimmer

Did you know that the earliest printing press is from the 13th century? And that the idea of print in the Middle Ages was pervasive and very different from ours? Plus, so-called “AI” is bad for education and I’m sorry to any fans of the Beatles. GuestSonja Drimmer is associate professor of medieval art in the Department of the History of Art & Architecture at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She writes about medieval manuscripts, early printed books, and all of the technologies that have mediated them. Her next book, Impressive Politics: Print before the Press in Late Medieval England is forthcoming in 2027. More info available at sonjadrimmer.com. CreditsHost & Executive Producer: Matthew Gabriele. Find him on Bluesky @profgabriele.com or his homepage profgabriele.com Editor: Julia SchifiniMusic: “Sleeping Bags” by OTEArt: Ulysses GabrieleMultitude: https://multitude.productions Find American Medieval OnlineWebsite: AmericanMedieval.com Patreon: patreon.com/AmericanMedieval Insta: instagram.com/americanmedieval YouTube: youtube.com/@AmericanMedieval Bluesky: bsky.app/profile/americanmedieval.bsky.social About UsAmerican Medieval is a podcast about the Middle Ages, but with an American twist. Each week, joined by expert guests, we’ll explore either some fascinating part of the medieval world, or some way Americans have used this period to help them understand themselves. After all, if America has never been modern, it’s because we’ve always been slightly medieval.Want to become a sponsor of American Medieval? Head over to https://multitude.productions/ads SponsorsSpirits is a history and comedy podcast focused on folklore, mythology, and the occult, told through the lens of feminism, queerness, and modern adulthood. Julia and Amanda get together each week to learn more about a different story from mythology and folklore over drinks. That's everything from the mythological origins of major franchises like Lord of the Rings and Wonder Woman, to modern urban legends, to a roundup of werewolf stories from around the world. They’ve been doing it for 9 years, but are still going strong. Head to spirits podcast dot com, or search for Spirits wherever you download your podcasts. New episodes on Wednesdays.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.