Tom
alttag.bsky.social
Tom
@alttag.bsky.social
Not that kind of doctor. (PhD, Computer Information Systems) Reformed software developer. Job: Data policy, AI, research. Interests: Org behavior, education, law, economics. Opinions are my own.
Reposted by Tom
Perhaps today is the day we should all learn the term “agnotology” and think about the many mechanisms of ignorance and what/whom it serves.
Gallup will no longer measure presidential approval after 88 years thehill.com/homenews/med...
February 11, 2026 at 7:50 PM
Twice this week I’ve recommended Microsoft Excel as the best immediate solution to an enterprise data problem, and I feel really dirty.
a man wearing a black sweater is making a funny face .
Alt: From the TV show “Schitt’s Creek”, a dark-haired man grimaces disgustedly.
media.tenor.com
February 11, 2026 at 11:54 PM
When I’m asked to put my dishes away:
February 11, 2026 at 3:04 AM
We returned from dinner and found the container of Ben & Jerry’s Chocolate Therapy had been pulled from the trash and was on the kitchen floor. The inside was suspiciously clean.

Still searching for the culprit.
February 11, 2026 at 1:54 AM
I’m tired and just tried using a keyboard shortcut from Windows 95/NT.

It didn’t work, of course, because Microsoft.

Mostly, I’m weirded out at how ingrained that behavior is/was, despite it not working for a decade or more.
February 10, 2026 at 9:59 PM
Reposted by Tom
Good use of Speech or Debate Clause immunity by Khanna here.
House Dem identifies ‘wealthy, powerful men’ DOJ redacted in Epstein files
House Dem identifies ‘wealthy, powerful men’ DOJ redacted in Epstein files
Rep. Ro Khanna took to the House floor Tuesday and read aloud the names of six “wealthy, powerful men” whose names were originally redacted in the Jeffrey Epstein files. It comes after Khanna, a California Democrat, and Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) emerged from reviewing unredacted materials related to the late convicted sex offender and demanded that the Justice Department reveal these individuals’ identities to the public if their redactions did not fall under the terms established by Congress.. The lawmakersthreatened to expose the men if DOJ did not cooperate, taking advantage of the Constitution’s Speech or Debate Clause that under certain circumstances can shield members of Congress from litigation. DOJ ultimately complied with some of their requests, Massie announced in social media posts Tuesday morning. Khanna, however, wasn’t satisfied to stop there. “Why did it take Thomas Massie and me going to the Justice Department to get these six men’s identities to become public?” he asked from the House floor. “And if we found six men that they were hiding in two hours, imagine how many men they are covering up for in those 3 million files.” Khanna accused the Trump administration of continuing to violate the law he and Massie helped shepherd through Congress in November that placed limits on DOJ redactions of the documents. It’s not immediately clear who some of the individuals are, but Khanna identified Leslie Wexner as the billionaire former owner of Victoria’s Secret and other retail companies, and Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem as the chief executive officer of DP World. Representatives for Wexner and Bin Sulayem did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Other names include Salvatore Nuara, Zurab Mikeladze, Leonic Leonov, and Nicola Caputo, who could not be reached for comment. Khanna did not provide evidence of wrongdoing against any of them.
dlvr.it
February 10, 2026 at 8:01 PM
Reposted by Tom
ICE sacked some tiny Idaho town and deported ~4 percent of the population at a stroke, it's liable to collapse the local economy www.nytimes.com/2026/02/09/u...
A Raid in a Small Town Brings Trump’s Deportations to Deep-Red Idaho
www.nytimes.com
February 9, 2026 at 2:54 PM
Reposted by Tom
"should the government kidnap 5 year olds and deport them? We asked seventeen ethics professors and they all just screamed"
February 8, 2026 at 5:42 PM
Got a haircut yesterday, and barber spent time spouting conspiracy theories.

Started with how he was so glad he didn’t get the COVID vaccine, but got more disturbing when he described how the Epstein files included accounts of Hillary cutting the face off a teen and wearing it as a mask.

🙄🤯🤮
Lady has been ranting about how evil vaccinations are in my coffee shop and I just want to scream
February 8, 2026 at 6:34 PM
Reposted by Tom
I'm sorry the guy changing the rules on the fly is named what
I stand with County Executive Calvin Ball as he signs emergency legislation today prohibiting privately owned buildings from being used as ICE detention centers.

Howard County chose dignity, accountability, and its people. Tune into our event now:
bit.ly/4a2VtHw
Redirecting...
bit.ly
February 7, 2026 at 2:34 PM
Reposted by Tom
Prosecutors Began Investigating Renee Good’s Killing. Washington Told Them to Stop.
www.nytimes.com
February 7, 2026 at 11:46 AM
Reposted by Tom
ICE has grabbed so many people from their vehicles that there are abandoned cars across Minnesota.

This tow truck driver returns the cars for free as a public service, and he’s been getting death threats.

They hate the helpers.

Which is why must keep helping.
Twin Cities tow truck driver returns abandoned vehicles to families after ICE arrests
Juan Leon sends a "chase" car to check out where abandoned vehicles are located and arranges discreet drop-offs. Since late December, he estimated they have dropped off 250 cars.
www.cbsnews.com
February 7, 2026 at 5:30 AM
Reposted by Tom
Martin, an 18-year-old citizen and soccer player, traveled with his Madison-area team to Minneapolis for a Futsal tournament (which my kid's team was going to play in, then opted out). While there, ICE stopped Martin and took his mom, who has been detained since.

www.jsonline.com/story/news/l...
Mother's immigration arrest leaves Madison soccer standout reeling
Federal immigration agents detained a Madison soccer player's mother while she was in Minnesota for her son's games. Now, he's struggling.
www.jsonline.com
February 7, 2026 at 6:15 PM
Reposted by Tom
ok, whoa. the DOJ just told me that the unredacted version of the document in question contains an image of a victim’s face overlayed on the face of the Mona Lisa image. so, that's why it's redacted. jesus christ
February 5, 2026 at 10:26 PM
Reposted by Tom
About 500 BYU students, alumni and others protested Thursday against Border Patrol’s presence at a job fair on the Provo campus, chanting “BYU get ICE out” and “Border Patrol has got to go.”
(Video by The Tribune’s Francisco Kjolseth)
Read more here: www.sltrib.com/news/educati...
February 5, 2026 at 7:40 PM
It’s nearing time for quarterly metrics reporting to the executive.

See below for a fun story that may make you rethink your metrics. I know some of ours have certainly been gamed.
February 6, 2026 at 3:20 AM
Reposted by Tom
The only response here is a motion to enjoin the whole operation

If the government's position is "I'm sorry your honor but we don't be the capacity to both respect constitutional rights and conduct the operation as it is currently being conducted" the answer is "then you must stop the operation"
February 5, 2026 at 1:29 PM
Reposted by Tom
NEW: Records also show DHS rushed Mobile Fortify out after abandoning its own facial-recognition oversight rules. Central privacy review was sidelined under orders from a Project 2025–linked former Heritage Foundation lawyer now serving as DHS chief privacy officer.

www.wired.com/story/cbp-ic...
February 5, 2026 at 8:32 PM
Reposted by Tom
Our faculty assembly just voted to prioritize merit raises over COLA raises, because the tenure track "fuck you, got mine" mentality has worked so well for us in the last decade.
January 30, 2026 at 8:50 PM
🧵 Listing books about lawyers and judicial officials who tried to reform Nazi Germany’s efforts from within, and exploration of why they failed.

Consensus premise seems to be moral capture is more likely than whistleblowing or internal reformation.
I know of They Thought They Were Free, what are some other books?
February 5, 2026 at 8:14 PM
Reposted by Tom
cannot possibly convey how actually crazy-making it can feel, after spending 20 years monitoring all these orgs blaming sex workers and the internet for enabling a vast sex trafficking network, to now see Jeffery Epstein’s inbox
February 5, 2026 at 4:16 PM
Reposted by Tom
A few friends passed this email HHS sent today along to me:

"Federal employees have the right to be free from prohibited personnel practices, including retaliation for whistleblowing."
February 5, 2026 at 3:46 PM
Reposted by Tom
Sir Ian McKellen performing a monologue from Shakespeare’s Sir Thomas More on the Stephen Colbert show. Never have I heard this monologue performed with such a keen sense of prescience. Nor have I ever been in this exact historical moment.TY Sir Ian, for reaching us once again.
#Pinks #ProudBlue
February 5, 2026 at 11:50 AM
If this is true, I am constantly preventing harm.
My actual job description is activist and here’s what I tell people in despair all the time: do not underestimate how much harm you can prevent by being just a little bit annoying.
This is one reason I keep trying to remind people of the power that we have. That we have *always* had. Not because I’m in denial, but because I know history. I’m no sophisticated intellectual, but I do know we’re going to win even though the bad shit is really terrible right now.
February 5, 2026 at 1:09 PM
Reposted by Tom
ohhh ‘democracy dies in darkness’ was aspirational
February 4, 2026 at 3:47 PM