Brian Ruh

@brianruh.bsky.social

2929 Followers 3556 Following

Independent scholar (that's what they call it when academia doesn't want you), PhD in communication and culture, occasional writer, always looking for a new project. I wrote a book on Mamoru Oshii’s films.

Top down view of a toilet paper roll on a holder, showing the core sticking out of the side.
Cover of ケータイ捜査官７ Blu Ray box, showing a close up a young man with a cell phone next to a phone with a face, arms, and legs
Cover of the first volume of Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo
I'm in a suit on the right. I believe the woman in the middle worked for JASC and the man on the right for the Consulate.
Me, looking askance at the camera
Conventions shifted only decades after the war, when white Southerners and their representatives in Congress collaborated to rewrite the history of the conflict. In 1899, one group pushed to expunge references to "rebellion" from historical and public discussion of the war. They preferred the misnomer "War Between the States," freeing the Confederacy of the stigma of revolt. From 1905 to 1911, the campaign's sympathizers in Congress moved to strike "War of the Rebellion" — the common name at the time - from legislation. "Civil War" became a compromise solution, mollifying Confederate nostalgics while being more acceptable to their opponents than War Between the States.
Patrick from SpongeBob with the head of an Ingram from Patlabor. Text: “No, this is Patrick Labor”
Patriot, If you're getting this email you're welcome to attend our event. DO NOT SHARE ANY INFORMATION IN THIS EMAIL WITH ANYONE ELSE. NO EXCEPTIONS® Get to Greenfield, IN by 6:00 pm tonight. If you're later than 6:30 pm you might not get in. Be on time. Park anywhere you want, but meet in front of the library at: 900 W McKenzie Rd, Greenfield, IN 46140 YOU MUST SHOW YOUR ID. NO EXCEPTIONS. After we check IDs we'll walk to the venue in small groups.
Three Spiders-Man pointing at each other
Cover of “Neither Washington nor Moscow” by the Redskins
"What is this?" "It's a particle-beam weapon." 「これは何ですか」 「粒子ビーム兵器です」
Star balloons with the SK Hynix logo and some range and white balloons
lauren @NotABigJerk i'm not falling for that hot take. that's clearly someone with a fetish for getting yelled at. i refuse to participate in that kind of perversion
A man in a suit stares wide and the subtitles say "In return, the girls let me..."
FIFA president Gianni Infantino speaks during an event in Brussels, Belgium, on Feb. 12. | REUTERS
The Major from Ghost in the Shell wearing a visor and pointing at her own blushing face
Red kei truck with 名取消防団 on the door.
Ad from Viz - CELEBRATE 40 VEARS OF VIZ WITH VIZ CORE Covers of Banana Fish manga, Ranma 1/2 anime and manga
An old plastic rainbow sherbet container. Parts of two, actually - the top is from Marsh and the bottom is from Meijer.
Picture of a passport stamp for entering Japan
Picture of a rectangular school lunch pizza with and apple, baby carrots, and a glass of chocolate milk with a twirly straw. Text: Kroger Best-customer Bonus mymagazine Exclusively for you! lunch Legends DIY Versions of the School Faves You Still Crave PAGE 10 Rectangle Pizza with No-knead Crust, page 14
A young woman and young man sit next to each other on a couch.
Ralph Wiggum waving and saying “I’m helping”
Red burger wrapping with white hexagons and rectangles. There’s a full color Rei Ayanami illustration on top.
Marcia Brady saying “Sure, Iron Wok Jan”
Screenshot of the six members of the Bionic Six
Dark grey shirt that reads: Gnaw Bone & French Lick & Loogootee & Toad Hop & Slabtown & Hardscrabble & Santa Claus & Floyds Knobs & Stony Lonesome.
Grandpa Simpson with his hand behind his ear. The subtitles read: “TURN IT UP! TURN IT UP!”
Tanya from Youjo Senki yelling "Caffeine!" in front of a large hill of coffee beans under a golden ray-streaked sky.
Close up of the back of a dark grey tshirt with holes in it
Image of two young women snuggling with each other. An iPod shows its screen, playing the song “Stars” by the band Hum.
Image for Ghost in the Shell from Amazon Prime - the Major sits atop a red fuchikoma
Journal & Courier Daily Briefing YOUR MORNING NEWS ROUNDUP Sat Jul 4 2026 McDonald's Fried Apple Pie is back for limited time this summer McDonald's brings back its classic fried apple pie nationwide for a limited time to celebrate the U.S.'s 250th birthday.
Picture of a mural of a phoenix from Tezuka’s Phoenix
FUKKEN CONSULTANTS Research, Planning, Designing, Supervision of Construction Work, Land, Geologic and Soil Survey Fukken Engineering Co., Ltd. Chubu Fukken Engineering Co., Ltd. Edogawa Bridge of Rapid Transit Railway, Tokyo 1-2-1, Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo. President: Kiyokazu lto 4-5-21, Chiyoda, Naka-ku, Nagoya President: Kingo Matsumoto
RAILWAY TRACK and STRUCTURE IN JAPAN 1974 JAPAN RAILWAY CIVIL ENGINEERING ASSOCIATION Photo of a railroad track under construction
Mel Brooks as Professor Krassman in The Muppet Movie
Megan’s from Urusei Yatsura playing with a Lum doll in his room. A big poster of Spock in STII: Khan era uniform is over his bed.
Photo of the front page of the latest edition of The Onion Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth with a 1947 photo that, until this week, was designated top-secret. (Next to an image of a blimp.) Pentagon Declassifies Files On Blimps WILL THE INFLATABLE OBJECTS IN OUR SKIES FINALLY BE EXPLAINED?
License plate: California ANUSTART
Misato and Ritsuko sit in a vehicle. Misato says, “Air conditioning has just got to be mankind's greatest treasure.”
Photo of a fortune cookie and the paper fortune from another cookie. The paper reads: “Your Wednesday will be filled with exciting opportunities for adventure.”
Photo of a text example. … Constitution (1890). That same year, however, the Imperial Rescript on Education (Kyoiku chokugo) was issued and provided the normative framework that would define the limits of religious freedom for half a century. The Rescript on Education was distributed to all schools and quickly became a sacred text for religious socialization. Ceremonial readings of the Rescript were essentially religious events, which included rice-cake offerings to the scroll on which the Rescript was written. Jinja sanpai (shrine visits) became regular school-sponsored events and most schools maintained a kamidana (god shelf) and enshrined the imperial photo, various kami, and sometimes a talisman from Ise Shrine. It provides kanji in the margins for Kyoiku chokugo 教育勅語 Jinja sanpai 神社参拝 kamidana 神棚
Cover of RELIGION & SOCIETY IN MODERN JAPAN EDITED BY MARK R. MULLINS SHIMAZONO SUSUMU PAUL L. SWANSON COD cover with a black and white photo of Mizuko Jizo
Utena with pink hair yells while swords clash in the foreground.
Book cover SITUATIONAL FUNCTIONAL JAPANESE VOLUME 1: NOTES SECOND EDITION TSUKUBA LANGUAGE GROUP BONJINSHA CO., LTD.
HEB flour tortillas, now in Christmas ornament form.
An Indiana tenderloin sandwich. The tenderloin absolutely dwarfs the bun. I mean, how does it even function as a sandwich?
CD cover of “Invisible Touch” by Genesis
Record cover of a woman in a field of flowers. The title “Grazing in the Grass” has been changed to read “Blazing in the Grass”. A partial skull has been painted over the woman’s face, she has been given devil horns and a tail, a heart tattoo, bones in one arm, and she’s smoking.
Silver ring with a ruby colored stone. Crest in the middle says Delta HS with the initials B and R outside of that. Engraving on the side says Eagles with an image of an eagle.
I wish I was riding the bus.... If only there was better public transportation infrastructure because now I have to drive.
Oats Avena sativa - northern Europe, second-millennium BCE You are Oats — also originally a weed in wheat and barley felds, oats came into their own in cool wet northern Europe where they outproduced everything else. Scotland and Ireland built rural life on oats: oatcakes, porridge, gruel, oat bannocks, oat-fed cattle and horses. The English mocked the Scots for it; Samuel Johnson defined oats as 'a grain which in England is generally given to horses, but in Scotland supports the people! Oats are naturally gluten-free in themselves but are frequently cross-contaminated and so often not celiac-safe unless certified. The flavor is mild and hearty; the soluble fiber (beta-glucan) lowers cholesterol. You are the figure of the peasant grain that rises - hearty, modest, slow-cooked, and lately discovered to be virtuously good for you. secondary affinities Wild Rice Manoomin- the food that grows on water; not actually rice, but the great Anishinaabe staple. Buckwheat Not a grain but a pseudocereal - buckwheat is to wheat what kale is to lettuce.
Cover of Somehow, Crystal by Tanaka Yasuo, translated by Christopher Smith A young woman wearing a dress in on her stomach, talking on the telephone. In a speech bubble we see drawings of various consumer items.
indianexpress.com SCREEN by The Indian EXPRESS News / Entertainment / Telugu / At 94, Indian director has top At 94, Indian director has toppled Clint Eastwood's world record with his 61st film With his 61st film Sing Geetham confirmed for a June 11 release, the Telugu filmmaker has surpassed Clint Eastwood's record to become the oldest active filmmaker currently leading a major production anywhere in the world. Written by: Yashaswini Sri 4 min read Hyderabad Jun 8, 2026 07:41 AM IST
The Atlantic BUSINESS The Earning Power of Philosophy Majors By Bourree Lam SEPTEMBER 3, 2015
Space Invaders handheld game from 1980
Display case with one Cheeto and a label inside.
Tom from Parks and Rec saying “You went on a vacation, and you chose Muncie, Indiana?”
Covers of four Okinawan edition tv guides