Anton Akhmerov
@antonakhmerov.org
Condensed matter theorist and a fan of open source and open science. https://antonakhmerov.org/
Things language models apparently can't do yet: optimize a website. This is chatgpt.com eating half a gigabyte of RAM and 100% CPU to respond to a text-only query.
November 13, 2025 at 11:51 AM
Things language models apparently can't do yet: optimize a website. This is chatgpt.com eating half a gigabyte of RAM and 100% CPU to respond to a text-only query.
I want students to collectively decide on a formula sheet for an exam. How to organize collaborative work of 100-200 people on one document of fixed size?
November 13, 2025 at 12:40 AM
I want students to collectively decide on a formula sheet for an exam. How to organize collaborative work of 100-200 people on one document of fixed size?
There is a persistent view in academia that you learn only by living through an experience. "My students implement everything from scratch so that they understand how code works." "If you don't write all your papers, you never learn." Active learning is great, but applying it mindlessly isn't OK.
October 29, 2025 at 2:18 PM
There is a persistent view in academia that you learn only by living through an experience. "My students implement everything from scratch so that they understand how code works." "If you don't write all your papers, you never learn." Active learning is great, but applying it mindlessly isn't OK.
I've been using @mattermost.bsky.social for almost a decade (since December 2015) for my group, some courses I teach. I ended up providing a chat for a few other research groups. Unfortunately with Mattermost Inc. backpedaling their open source stance, I'll find something else.
October 22, 2025 at 5:50 PM
I've been using @mattermost.bsky.social for almost a decade (since December 2015) for my group, some courses I teach. I ended up providing a chat for a few other research groups. Unfortunately with Mattermost Inc. backpedaling their open source stance, I'll find something else.
And this is how I learned about jupyter-ssh-proxy. Seems handy, and a lot less headache to set up than an actual ssh server into the hub. ✨
Thanks to Andy from OpenScapes for fixing a docs issue in jupyter-sshd-proxy that helps users connect to JupyterHub via SSH. This is the cycle we want to see - communities use open source tools, find issues, and contribute fixes that benefit everyone 🎉
2i2c.org/blog/2025/op...
2i2c.org/blog/2025/op...
A helpful contribution to our JupyterHub SSH README from OpenScapes | 2i2c
We love when collaborators contribute back to the tools we maintain! Andy Teucher from OpenScapes recently fixed a documentation issue in jupyter-sshd-proxy that benefits everyone using the tool. jupyter-sshd-proxy...
2i2c.org
October 21, 2025 at 3:37 PM
And this is how I learned about jupyter-ssh-proxy. Seems handy, and a lot less headache to set up than an actual ssh server into the hub. ✨
Surgeon general warning: quantum computing is not close to being useful.
October 15, 2025 at 10:36 AM
Surgeon general warning: quantum computing is not close to being useful.
Are there reliable ways to ensure that coding agents don't use ridiculously defensive coding? I often run into
try:
data = get(nonexistent_url).json()
except Exception:
data = placeholder_data()
I think excessive defensiveness is the biggest pitfall of current tools.
try:
data = get(nonexistent_url).json()
except Exception:
data = placeholder_data()
I think excessive defensiveness is the biggest pitfall of current tools.
October 11, 2025 at 10:45 AM
Are there reliable ways to ensure that coding agents don't use ridiculously defensive coding? I often run into
try:
data = get(nonexistent_url).json()
except Exception:
data = placeholder_data()
I think excessive defensiveness is the biggest pitfall of current tools.
try:
data = get(nonexistent_url).json()
except Exception:
data = placeholder_data()
I think excessive defensiveness is the biggest pitfall of current tools.
I don't think I'd manage that long scholar.google.com/scholar?q=%2...
scholar.google.com
October 7, 2025 at 10:26 PM
I don't think I'd manage that long scholar.google.com/scholar?q=%2...
I didn't realize this before, but chatGPT logo has deep symbolism to it:
- It's cool
- It's simple
- It's visually appealing
- If you try to study it carefully, things don't quite make sense nor match
(Source: the SVG form the app, so this is *the* logo)
- It's cool
- It's simple
- It's visually appealing
- If you try to study it carefully, things don't quite make sense nor match
(Source: the SVG form the app, so this is *the* logo)
October 7, 2025 at 11:57 AM
I didn't realize this before, but chatGPT logo has deep symbolism to it:
- It's cool
- It's simple
- It's visually appealing
- If you try to study it carefully, things don't quite make sense nor match
(Source: the SVG form the app, so this is *the* logo)
- It's cool
- It's simple
- It's visually appealing
- If you try to study it carefully, things don't quite make sense nor match
(Source: the SVG form the app, so this is *the* logo)
ChatGPT is feeling mighty enabled in the last couple of days.
September 28, 2025 at 11:04 AM
ChatGPT is feeling mighty enabled in the last couple of days.
We needed to demonstrate how different symmetries look, and I think the result is neat.
September 25, 2025 at 1:12 PM
We needed to demonstrate how different symmetries look, and I think the result is neat.
I made an app for raising hands. Make a floor plan of your classroom, define tables, share QR codes with students, and you're set. They raise hands in a queue, you and/or your fellow TAs get notifications. Try it out here (if it's your kind of thing) handraiser.quantumtinkerer.tudelft.nl
Hand Raiser
handraiser.quantumtinkerer.tudelft.nl
September 10, 2025 at 9:50 PM
I made an app for raising hands. Make a floor plan of your classroom, define tables, share QR codes with students, and you're set. They raise hands in a queue, you and/or your fellow TAs get notifications. Try it out here (if it's your kind of thing) handraiser.quantumtinkerer.tudelft.nl
I’m working on Kwantsplain, an AI tool that turns natural language descriptions into Kwant simulations.
Your input can shape it! What simulations should it handle?
Submit ideas: forms.gle/z6BpHNDKJfRN... #opensource #quantumtransport
Your input can shape it! What simulations should it handle?
Submit ideas: forms.gle/z6BpHNDKJfRN... #opensource #quantumtransport
Kwantsplain query
I’m developing Kwantsplain, an open-source AI assistant that turns natural language queries into Kwant simulations. I’d love your input: what would you ask from this tool? Your feedback will help guid...
forms.gle
August 31, 2025 at 11:49 AM
I’m working on Kwantsplain, an AI tool that turns natural language descriptions into Kwant simulations.
Your input can shape it! What simulations should it handle?
Submit ideas: forms.gle/z6BpHNDKJfRN... #opensource #quantumtransport
Your input can shape it! What simulations should it handle?
Submit ideas: forms.gle/z6BpHNDKJfRN... #opensource #quantumtransport
How about the editors publish a note "we screwed up and we shouldn't have published the paper" instead of retracting?
Science is retracting the December 2010 Research Article, “A bacterium that can grow by using arsenic instead of phosphorus.” (THREAD 🧵) scim.ag/4lGQ9g7
August 3, 2025 at 1:08 PM
How about the editors publish a note "we screwed up and we shouldn't have published the paper" instead of retracting?
Reposted by Anton Akhmerov
Overnight runs are the overnight oats of research — prep, forget, and rewarding by morning
April 19, 2025 at 12:44 AM
Overnight runs are the overnight oats of research — prep, forget, and rewarding by morning
To add gravitas and style to your statements, end sentences with "unless polynomial hierarchy collapses".
- Want to grab lunch tomorrow?
- Sounds awesome, I'm in! Unless polynomial hierarchy collapses.
- Want to grab lunch tomorrow?
- Sounds awesome, I'm in! Unless polynomial hierarchy collapses.
July 17, 2025 at 9:53 AM
To add gravitas and style to your statements, end sentences with "unless polynomial hierarchy collapses".
- Want to grab lunch tomorrow?
- Sounds awesome, I'm in! Unless polynomial hierarchy collapses.
- Want to grab lunch tomorrow?
- Sounds awesome, I'm in! Unless polynomial hierarchy collapses.
I've seen plenty of #arXiv preprints that look like they've been authored years after the actual upload.
1. Authors: remember to replace \date{\today} so that you don't look like you're a decade late with your work.
2. Wouldn't it be amazing if arXiv set the OS date to upload date when compiling?
1. Authors: remember to replace \date{\today} so that you don't look like you're a decade late with your work.
2. Wouldn't it be amazing if arXiv set the OS date to upload date when compiling?
July 6, 2025 at 11:33 AM
I've seen plenty of #arXiv preprints that look like they've been authored years after the actual upload.
1. Authors: remember to replace \date{\today} so that you don't look like you're a decade late with your work.
2. Wouldn't it be amazing if arXiv set the OS date to upload date when compiling?
1. Authors: remember to replace \date{\today} so that you don't look like you're a decade late with your work.
2. Wouldn't it be amazing if arXiv set the OS date to upload date when compiling?
Let's collect rules!
What makes a good paper title? What are patterns to avoid, and what approaches work well?
As an exercise and to motivate the question, go through fresh arXiv and see how many titles you like.
What makes a good paper title? What are patterns to avoid, and what approaches work well?
As an exercise and to motivate the question, go through fresh arXiv and see how many titles you like.
June 26, 2025 at 9:04 AM
Let's collect rules!
What makes a good paper title? What are patterns to avoid, and what approaches work well?
As an exercise and to motivate the question, go through fresh arXiv and see how many titles you like.
What makes a good paper title? What are patterns to avoid, and what approaches work well?
As an exercise and to motivate the question, go through fresh arXiv and see how many titles you like.
I would even go as far as to recommend adding *.ipynb to .gitignore and use jupytext with .py or .md for interactive work. It is possible to have clean notebooks in git, but the extra complexity is a challenge for many people.
Friends, please strip your output from jupyter notebooks before committing. You can just add github.com/kynan/nbstri... as a pre-commit hook. Having readable diffs is worth it for 30 seconds of effort
GitHub - kynan/nbstripout: strip output from Jupyter and IPython notebooks
strip output from Jupyter and IPython notebooks. Contribute to kynan/nbstripout development by creating an account on GitHub.
github.com
June 24, 2025 at 9:48 AM
I would even go as far as to recommend adding *.ipynb to .gitignore and use jupytext with .py or .md for interactive work. It is possible to have clean notebooks in git, but the extra complexity is a challenge for many people.
By the way, in order to do 2nd quantized perturbation theory we needed to figure out how to simplify operator expressions, which is quite useful by itself. Check out our docs here: pymablock.readthedocs.io/en/latest/se... if you need to do symbolic 2nd quantized computations.
June 11, 2025 at 7:51 AM
By the way, in order to do 2nd quantized perturbation theory we needed to figure out how to simplify operator expressions, which is quite useful by itself. Check out our docs here: pymablock.readthedocs.io/en/latest/se... if you need to do symbolic 2nd quantized computations.
Two last remaining uses for a USB stick:
- Install Linux.
- Share your slides because the conference organizers asked.
- Install Linux.
- Share your slides because the conference organizers asked.
June 10, 2025 at 8:56 PM
Two last remaining uses for a USB stick:
- Install Linux.
- Share your slides because the conference organizers asked.
- Install Linux.
- Share your slides because the conference organizers asked.
Me, a year ago: "Perturbation theory is always the same, second quantization is just filling in the gaps."
6000 lines of code and docs later: Pymablock v2.2.0 released🎉 pymablock.readthedocs.io/en/v2.2.0/
We have bosons, spins, fermions, and Floquet, and I'm quite happy about it.
6000 lines of code and docs later: Pymablock v2.2.0 released🎉 pymablock.readthedocs.io/en/v2.2.0/
We have bosons, spins, fermions, and Floquet, and I'm quite happy about it.
Pymablock — pymablock 2.2.0 documentation
pymablock.readthedocs.io
June 6, 2025 at 2:26 PM
Me, a year ago: "Perturbation theory is always the same, second quantization is just filling in the gaps."
6000 lines of code and docs later: Pymablock v2.2.0 released🎉 pymablock.readthedocs.io/en/v2.2.0/
We have bosons, spins, fermions, and Floquet, and I'm quite happy about it.
6000 lines of code and docs later: Pymablock v2.2.0 released🎉 pymablock.readthedocs.io/en/v2.2.0/
We have bosons, spins, fermions, and Floquet, and I'm quite happy about it.