In honour of the elections in Hungary, I'm reposting this piece on the creeping seduction of Orbán's authoritarianism. www.geist.com/fact/happy-b...

Unsolved mysteries about neutrinos in physics

Two recent studies have re-examined risk of birds colliding with rotor blades of wind turbines. Research found that there was not a single collision. "The results from Aberdeen Bay show that modern offshore wind farms can be operated with low risk to wildlife." www.euronews.com/2026/04/11/t...

If you're wondering why I've been so quiet for the past 5 weeks, it's because I was writing this paper: arxiv.org/abs/2604.05095 An epoch of cosmology apparently unrelated to the Hubble tension puts pressure on *all* early-time solutions to the Hubble tension--background provided below 👇 1/6 ⚛️🧪

@corblund.bsky.social playing his song about the coal mining situation that's sparked the #WaterNotCoal petition to help preserve healthy #AlbertaWater at the Fly (fishing) shop in Calgary. #AbEnergy #AbLeg

For #FlashbackFriday, here's my re-creation of Harvey Kurtzman's cover art to MAD #6. Pen, brush and ink on 13 X 20" bristol board.

Don't you agree that University-Rosedale deserves that kind of representation in Ottawa? #FutureCanada

Can we have a ruling on whether #Artemis II is (a) "a mission to the Moon" or do we have to say (b) "a lunar flyby" just because they're not landing? I say (a) is okay: they're definitely going to the Moon! And past it! They're just not touching down.

My latest newsletter: Naheed Nenshi tried to pre-empt Avi Lewis's win as federal NDP leader with a new energy policy that's big on new pipelines and more oil and gas production. Here's what he should have done instead. #abpoli #cdnpoli www.nationalobserver.com/newsletters/...

Money talks. We might want to listen here in Canada.

Renting in Toronto? Bookmark this bad housing/bad landlords database website for the next time you need to find a new place to live. Let’s hope city council can hold them to better standards in the future (see more posts in Matt’s thread) but in the meantime, avoid these if you can! #TOpoli #Toronto

“An election survey from Janet Brown Opinion Research demonstrated that, despite voters electing a city council that primarily campaigned on repealing rezoning, save for a few, a majority of people below the age of 45 support keeping rezoning, while a majority of those 45+ oppose it.”

Hey University-Rosedale 👋 You might've seen us out in the riding promising the same thing we have from the beginning. Honest politics. We're not claiming we'll win this seat, we're here to prove that evidence-based politics is possible in Canada.

"What the physics community took away from these philosophers was that science is about picking new ideas out of thin air, developing a theory, and testing whether it’s right or wrong. ...In my opinion, this closed-mindedness is precisely the problem with modern theoretical physics. "

If our system rewards broad support, politicians must listen to more people. Proportional representation changes the incentives from winning power to earning it. That is how top democracies stay strong.

The 2026 World Happiness Report is out, and the pattern is clear. Countries with proportional representation rank at the top. That's not a coincidence. These systems push governments to serve everyone, not just swing ridings. It's time to make every vote count here too.

Very cool. #BikeTO

Less than 46% of eligible Ontarians voted in the last election (2025)! 🤬 I blame THEM for sitting on their butts and didn't bother! #onpoli

If there’s one message every climate-concerned human needs to hear right now it’s that YOU ARE IN THE MAJORITY both globally and at home and WE WANT ACTION, not silence. We discuss with one of Canada’s top #Climate thinkers @sethdklein.bsky.social PODCAST: www.podcastics.com/episode/4088...

For #MuppetMonday, let's have some Bert and Ernie flashbacks! #2: B & E in a Muppet version of HARAKIRI. Hand-drawn with mixed media on 11 X 14" watercolor paper.

Is intelligence just a really good memory?

Three days ago I fulfilled a lifelong dream by taking a bus from Santa Marta, Colombia to Aracataca to visit the childhood home of Gabriel García Márquez, where both the author and Macondo were born.

Another option in the University-Rosedale by-election. I like that the Future Party has proportional representation in their platform, unlike the Liberals or Conservatives.

What's the value of having telescopes in space? Seeing change over human time scales. Plus the Crab Nebula is gorgeous. Latest from Hubble. science.nasa.gov/missions/hub...

With first-past-the-post, 40% of the vote can mean total control, enough to create distractions while forcing through laws to exempt yourself from any transparency. Proportional representation means accountability decisions require real consensus and broad support.

Today, the Youth Employment Supplement I worked on at McGill @maxbellschool.bsky.social was mentioned in @theglobeandmail.com

As @acoyne.bsky.social writes in The Globe and Mail, minority governments often deliver more legitimate, negotiated outcomes. So why do we keep producing false majority governments with less than 40% of the vote? Proportional representation would make cooperation the norm.

If you like hearing oil and gas industry talking points get smacked down, you'll enjoy this episode.

Asymptotic safety, a quantum field theory of gravity which overcomes traditional math problems at tiny scales, and correctly predicts the mass of two quarks. Seems promising as an alternative to string theory.

Most advanced democracies have moved beyond winner-take-all elections that focus on a handful of swing ridings while ignoring millions elsewhere. Proportional representation changes that incentive. Every vote helps elect someone, so parties must compete and listen everywhere.

The snow we just got on the East Coast is particularly great snow for snowballs. This is because of the snow-to-liquid ratio. ❄️ spklr.io/6043Da4yB 🎤 🎞️: Marta Hill 📝: Stephanie Pappas

Young people are told to vote, volunteer, and engage. But first-past-the-post makes it harder for young candidates to win in the first place. Proportional representation lowers the barriers and brings youth voices into Parliament. That changes what gets prioritized.

Love that you can't always tell whether a wacky scheme mentioned in @xkcd.com is actually real or not. SNEWS is real! xkcd.com/3208/

Self-Portrait (rotated), potential sketch for The Creation of Adam, by Michelangelo, late 15th//early 16th c

⚛️🧪In the #quantum double slit experiment, the famous #interference pattern disappears if we measure which slit the particle went through. Why does it disappear? It's often described in vague, mystical terms, but in fact it's conceptually straightforward: profmattstrassler.com/2025/04/03/d...

For #MuppetMonday, let's have some Sesame Street flashbacks! #2: GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS! Mixed media on 11 X 14" watercolor paper.

As I get ready for another cozy weekend of Olympics watching, I'm seeing lots of chatter about ice quality for different sports. As a Minnesotan and a science journalist, just wanted to reshare this video about why ice temps matter!

Close elections are not the problem. The problem is a system where thousands of voters can be left without a voice because their party finished second. In a proportional system, votes across Terrebonne would shape seats. No community’s voice would hinge on a single envelope.

After 19 long years, the Eglinton Crosstown LRT is finally open! While there’s cause to celebrate, we can’t forget just how drawn out and expensive this process was. The only way forward is full accountability from the provincial government.

Despite a policy shift away from #renewables from the #Trump administration, energy companies are still turning to the fast and cheap power of solar and wind #energy to provide power. The thing that’s actually changing? Their messaging. spectrum.ieee.org/trump-renewa...

Toronto's new Eglinton rail line shows the awakening of a new consciousness of what kind of city Toronto is. New from me: humantransit.org/2026/02/toro...

This is an up-close photo of Saturn's rings, but it also shows so much more. Those two little dots are actually the Earth and Moon as seen from over 1.4 billion kilometers away by the Cassini spacecraft. Everything you know and love is on that dot. #Astronomy ⚛️🧪

How Federal PR Can Strengthen Local Representation in Alberta In Alberta, local representation matters deeply. Communities expect their elected representatives to understand regional priorities—whether urban growth, rural infrastructure, energy development, agriculture, or municipal services.…

When more voters see their views reflected in parliament, trust goes up. Systems that turn votes into seats fairly give people a reason to believe participation matters. That is a powerful argument for proportional representation.

Anyone talking up the prospect of multiple new LNG projects in BC needs to read this report. The demand growth they're counting on from coal to gas switching only happens at prices where Canadian projects will lose money. www.mckinsey.com/industries/o...

Winter walk while the snow was still fresh this morning. Dormant beauty lives. ❄️

A small study found that exposure to lead—a dangerous heavy metal—has fallen by a factor of more than 100 since the 1960s. However, the researchers warn that all the gains in lead exposure could be reversed if pollution policies change. bit.ly/4ryhLH2 📊: @unamandita.bsky.social

So Russia is sabotaging power lines between Romania and Moldova. Does this constitute an attack on a NATO country?

Process shots of my recent commission featuring a Muppet version of RETURN OF THE KILLER TOMATOES: pencils, inks, and watercolors/mixed media.