Computing Crows

Technologically advance a band Big Brother and the Offshore LLC

Bachman-Turner WarpDrive

Also, @djbduncan.bsky.social's book, "Index, a history of the" is brilliantly titled. The book's Wiki page (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Index%2...) breaks with formula and picks up on the riff: "Index, Origins of," etc. Need to pick this up for my Writing, Style, and Punctuation shelf

A clever review that works in more criticism than is customary in these reflexively acclamatory times. Also, a great kicker. How is it that every time Pinker blows smoke out his ass, some scribe takes it down and publishes it?

His work happened, was immensely valuable, and he is daily missed.

Technologically advance a band Flock of Drones Kevlar Zeppelin

Titanium Maiden

Genuine question for rabbis/OT Biblical/Talmud scholars: If God told the Jews not to breed mules ('You must not breed together two different kinds of your livestock' – Lev 19:19), how come Solomon rode on David's mule when he was anointed (1 Kings 1:45)? Pls RT

“Language models hallucinate because the training and evaluation procedures reward guessing over acknowledging uncertainty."

lol I had gpt make me a cartoon of #DNA pioneer James Watson as a character from Punch, c. 1880 (AI-generated image).

Just back from @librarycongress.bsky.social and NASA, where i hung w/ all but 1 of the Blumberg Chairs of Astrobiology past/present. @drfunkyspoon.bsky.social @dhbaron.bsky.social @dagomardegroot.bsky.social & other cool folk were mixing it up. fun! also we gave talks @ NASA HQ

Ooh, like in 1952, when LINUS FUCKING PAULING had his passport revoked so he had to miss a Royal Institution scientific meeting *in his honor*?

Make America civil—and kind, respectful, generous, and honest— again.

...aaaand I just noticed they misspelled my name. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

The War on Drug

woonderfully clear-eyed set of posts from @kakape.bsky.social on some of the known unknowns and unknown unknowns in the Utah case. with links to writers who are digging deeper.

Rx reading: Very thoughtful, informed review in @lareviewofbooks.bsky.social of the #SpiritofAsilomar meeting last Jan. by @matthewcobb.bsky.social. Pretty sure I am the "one historian" mentioned! :)

right?!? If this is what it seems, I am so disappointed in my alma mater. Turning in Judith Butler? WTAF? Mario Savio is whirling in his grave

i’ll be there, talking about the origin of life!

David Baltimore, for much of the past three decades, has been one of my most helpful, thoughtful sources. I wrote an obit about his remarkable career, and I included a few of my interactions with him. www.science.org/content/arti...

sage advice - and never easy RIP David Baltimore

Right you are, @philipcball.bsky.social. A v young John Tooze wrote the piece. Here's the ref to that + Crick's retort: Tooze. “Central Dogma Reversed.” Nature 226 (1970): 1198–999. Crick, Francis. “Central Dogma of Molecular Biology.” Nature 227 (1970): 561–63. doi.org/10.1038/2275....

Fair. I do commend JCVI for their stewardship of this valuable collection. 🥂

so wtf. “Gen-z” is now a platform? and ppl are dying over access to fuckin facebook? and the measures in nepal were implemented to curtail fake news? this is what’s worth dying for? what am i missing? please enlightn me

fun fact about reverse transcriptase: the “central dogma overturned” hoo-ha was because Jim Watson always conflated the CD with his own “DNA>RNA>protein” (1952). He put it that way in Mol Bio of the Gene (‘65) & everyone read it & accepted his def’n! Crick was Cross. www.nytimes.com/2025/09/07/s...

Ck out this thread from @matthewcobb.bsky.social on the history of mol bio collection recently acquired by @sciencehistory.org. This collection was assembled around 2000 and bought by @jcvi.org, where it lay dormant for two decades. So glad this material is now accessible to scholars.

i’ve said before, but it bears repeating: the new Nursing Clio collection is chocked with history of medicine goodness, by @ayahnerd.bsky.social, @jackiantonovich.bsky.social , and many others

❤️❤️❤️❤️

US folk! If you a Barnes & Noble Rewards Member you can get 25% off your pre-order of my forthcoming biography CRICK (an extra 10 if you are a Premium member!). Offer applies to hardback, ebook and audio, and ends 5 September. Use code PREORDER25.

A golden era is ending. American Masters, Nature, This American Life, ATC/ME, Sci Friday. SESAME Street, FFS. I have worked with @npr.org and @pbs.org many times, spent countless hours watching and especially listening. Thanks, @kairyssdal.bsky.social & all at CPB for your dedication.

Way too accurate…

Gotta share this pic of Seeker, my 3 yo Chesapeake Bay Retriever. What a dog. He’s at the kennel where he’s staying while I’m in Africa. I say this in warning: if you’re one of those interesting ppl who don’t like bird and animal pix, my content could be slightly disturbing for a couple weeks

Done! This world is everwhelming.

Brilliant!

"Ma, I swear! Jeffy did it and blamed it on me!" Donnie darling, you have chocolate all over your face. "Jeffy!! You wiped chocolate on m..." <slap!>

If anyone in my little circle is into Cold War or nukes history and doesn't know @wellerstein.bsky.social's terrific NUKEMAP site, yall should check it out. An immense amount of research has gone into this, & a helluva lot of imagination too. nuclearsecrecy.com/nukemap/

It dawns on one that the wacked-out "trade war" was all smoke and mirrors. What this whole tariff thing is, really, is a massive across-the-board tax hike on Americans. A tax hike of the most regressive kind. The poorer you are, the more it hurts. #ageofimmorality

Tom Lehrer was a staple in my house growing up. What a talent. His satirical songs are insightful and biting but, as a chemist, "The Elements" will also have a special place in my heart. www.youtube.com/watch?v=AcS3...

My personal favorite Tom Lehrer is the one I could alllllmost use in a lecture on disease transmission youtu.be/R6qFG0uop9k?...

Genuflect, genuflect, genuflect!

I love how this one implicitly makes the point that he COULD rhyme “Oedipus” and “platypus” but instead it’s a throwaway gag en route to the finish

Was returning something on Amazon and it offered me to keep the $100 item and they'd give me a partial reimbursement of $20. Didn't take it, but if they'd come back and said, "How about $40?" I'd've at least thought about it. Anyone else get this type of thing?

"'Once ze rockets are up, who cares vhere zey come down? Zat's not my department!' says Wernher von Braun" How we need a Tom Lehrer now!

Friends who've published with Hopkins, check out the below if you weren't already aware:

tenure-track job openings for historians of sci, med, tech & environment @ Texas State: networks.h-net.org/jobs/68829/t...

Unmute your phones if you can: Here’s 10 secs of pure joy. Because all things considered, you deserve it. #Kora master Karamo Sosso & Friends, La Peña, Berkeley

Random acts of gourmet terrorism

Weird old music lovers (parse that as you will), if you don’t know @vintageobscura.net, you should