Bennett
@bennettmcintosh.com
Science & Technology Studies | History of Sci & Tech || How do data & scientific communities make each other? Current projects on: social genomics; environmental regulation
No offense but if you follow me with no bio I will probably block
No offense but if you follow me with no bio I will probably block
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Bennett
@bennettmcintosh.com
· Oct 29
In v2 of our preprint on "Adversarial Reanalysis," Kelsey Ichikawa, @nicolecnelson.bsky.social, & added our take on Gold Standard Science as an example of how #OpenData challenges science's existing tools for self-governance
osf.io/preprints/me... #sts #metascience
osf.io/preprints/me... #sts #metascience
Reposted by Bennett
"A more helpful question than “Is it intelligent” might be: what does it mean to know? What does it mean to believe that others know? How does this impact trust in a society, and how might AI colonize those mechanisms to seize that trust? "
^^^ THIS.
^^^ THIS.
The most important question about AI isn't determining whether the machine thinks — it's whether interacting with it displaces the conditions under which we think, writes Eryk Salvaggio.
The Illusion of AGI, or What Language Models Can Do Without Thought
It is not simple stubbornness that LLMs are not “intelligent,” much less a form of “general” intelligence, writes Eryk Salvaggio.
buff.ly
February 13, 2026 at 6:00 PM
"A more helpful question than “Is it intelligent” might be: what does it mean to know? What does it mean to believe that others know? How does this impact trust in a society, and how might AI colonize those mechanisms to seize that trust? "
^^^ THIS.
^^^ THIS.
Reposted by Bennett
With tax season in full swing, here's our reminder that TurboTax owner Intuit spent two decades fighting to prevent Americans from filing their taxes online for free.
(Published 2019)
(Published 2019)
Inside TurboTax’s 20-Year Fight to Stop Americans From Filing Their Taxes for Free
Using lobbying, the revolving door and “dark pattern” customer tricks, Intuit fended off the government’s attempts to make tax filing free and easy, and created its multi-billion-dollar franchise.
www.propublica.org
February 8, 2026 at 4:00 AM
With tax season in full swing, here's our reminder that TurboTax owner Intuit spent two decades fighting to prevent Americans from filing their taxes online for free.
(Published 2019)
(Published 2019)
Reposted by Bennett
Ian McKellen performs “The Strangers’ Case” speech from “Sir Thomas More” on Colbert.
February 5, 2026 at 1:07 PM
Ian McKellen performs “The Strangers’ Case” speech from “Sir Thomas More” on Colbert.
Reposted by Bennett
Was Epstein a Russian agent? Was Epstein an Israeli agent? This debate that's is "either/or" is raging in social media right now. It's far off the mark. Epstein ran an operation on the model of Robert Maxwell, who networked with at least 7 intel agencies,
February 7, 2026 at 2:53 AM
Was Epstein a Russian agent? Was Epstein an Israeli agent? This debate that's is "either/or" is raging in social media right now. It's far off the mark. Epstein ran an operation on the model of Robert Maxwell, who networked with at least 7 intel agencies,
Reposted by Bennett
Beefing with a five year-old should be an impeachable offense for the stain to the national honor alone. It's frankly pathetic.
HAPPENING NOW: DHS just expedited Liam Conejo Ramos' asylum hearing to this morning, meaning it's possible the five-year-old and his family could be deported as soon as today.
Rep. Joaquin Castro: "The Trump administration is trying to take him away again." www.huffpost.com/entry/trump-...
Rep. Joaquin Castro: "The Trump administration is trying to take him away again." www.huffpost.com/entry/trump-...
Five-Year-Old Liam Ramos Is In His Asylum Hearing Right Now
www.huffpost.com
February 6, 2026 at 8:09 PM
Beefing with a five year-old should be an impeachable offense for the stain to the national honor alone. It's frankly pathetic.
Reposted by Bennett
The Washington Post just laid off its entire award-winning photo team. They were our eyes in places we'll never see. It's a horrifying loss at a time when lying governments, propaganda and AI slop are on the rise.
February 6, 2026 at 6:59 PM
The Washington Post just laid off its entire award-winning photo team. They were our eyes in places we'll never see. It's a horrifying loss at a time when lying governments, propaganda and AI slop are on the rise.
Reposted by Bennett
Cute talking parrots have gone viral on TikTok, yet these animals were likely bred in abject cruelty (or were even snatched from the wild). See for yourself in this new Vox investigation:
February 6, 2026 at 3:38 PM
Cute talking parrots have gone viral on TikTok, yet these animals were likely bred in abject cruelty (or were even snatched from the wild). See for yourself in this new Vox investigation:
Reposted by Bennett
I feel like a lot of folks sharing this article didn't read it. People are acting like the cars are being remote driven & this has been hidden when the article makes clear it's the opposite.
It Turns Out Waymos Are Being Controlled by Workers in the Philippines
During a Congressional hearing, Waymo's chief safety officer, Mauricio Peña, was grilled over the company's reliance on overseas workers.
futurism.com
February 6, 2026 at 5:04 PM
I feel like a lot of folks sharing this article didn't read it. People are acting like the cars are being remote driven & this has been hidden when the article makes clear it's the opposite.
Reposted by Bennett
Guess what! I wrote about OpenClaw née Moltbot and Moltbook in this week's episode:
Newsletter version: newsletter.danhon.com/archive/s21e...
Podcast version:
thingsthatcaughtmyattention.libsyn.com/that-whole-m...
uh more in thread I guess...
Newsletter version: newsletter.danhon.com/archive/s21e...
Podcast version:
thingsthatcaughtmyattention.libsyn.com/that-whole-m...
uh more in thread I guess...
February 6, 2026 at 4:45 PM
Guess what! I wrote about OpenClaw née Moltbot and Moltbook in this week's episode:
Newsletter version: newsletter.danhon.com/archive/s21e...
Podcast version:
thingsthatcaughtmyattention.libsyn.com/that-whole-m...
uh more in thread I guess...
Newsletter version: newsletter.danhon.com/archive/s21e...
Podcast version:
thingsthatcaughtmyattention.libsyn.com/that-whole-m...
uh more in thread I guess...
Reposted by Bennett
I saw that Trump polls -40 on Reddit and finally sat down and made us a subreddit, please join if you're active over there www.reddit.com/r/LiberalCur...
LiberalCurrents
Official subreddit for Liberal Currents, an independent publication that promotes thinkers who advance ambitious agendas to foster a truly open society.
Read us at liberalcurrents.com
www.reddit.com
February 6, 2026 at 2:57 PM
I saw that Trump polls -40 on Reddit and finally sat down and made us a subreddit, please join if you're active over there www.reddit.com/r/LiberalCur...
Reposted by Bennett
I absolutely understand the museum folks who want it restored but it looks SO cool and provocative and improved tbh in the damaged form that it immediately gives me like seventeen different ideas for making it a special exhibit centerpiece
February 6, 2026 at 3:06 PM
I absolutely understand the museum folks who want it restored but it looks SO cool and provocative and improved tbh in the damaged form that it immediately gives me like seventeen different ideas for making it a special exhibit centerpiece
Reposted by Bennett
I asked Claude Code to build Claude Code. You won’t believe what happened next.
Secrets of Intelligence Services
I asked Claude code to build Claude code. You won’t believe what happened next.
www.argmin.net
February 6, 2026 at 3:26 PM
I asked Claude Code to build Claude Code. You won’t believe what happened next.
Reposted by Bennett
Yay, our glorious @mediaarchaeology.bsky.social and her fearless leader @loriemerson.net appear in @fastcompany.com this week! Come visit us sometime.
www.fastcompany.com/91483774/the...
www.fastcompany.com/91483774/the...
These historic computing labs teach kids what technology was like before phones, social media, and the cloud - Fast Company
The labs help students and researchers understand computing’s history and future—and stoke an interest in cloud-free technology.
www.fastcompany.com
February 6, 2026 at 3:18 PM
Yay, our glorious @mediaarchaeology.bsky.social and her fearless leader @loriemerson.net appear in @fastcompany.com this week! Come visit us sometime.
www.fastcompany.com/91483774/the...
www.fastcompany.com/91483774/the...
Reposted by Bennett
It is weird that we normalized keeping caged wild animals in our living rooms
www.vox.com/the-highligh...
www.vox.com/the-highligh...
The case against owning small pets
Your pet fish — or bird, or hamster — is probably miserable.
www.vox.com
February 6, 2026 at 3:14 PM
It is weird that we normalized keeping caged wild animals in our living rooms
www.vox.com/the-highligh...
www.vox.com/the-highligh...
"The scarred legacy of the projects has strained public faith in public housing, but there is still an important role for government to play... cross-class living and mobility is, after all, the great promise of city life." ~@mbolotnikova.bsky.social
🎁 www.vox.com/future-perfe...
🎁 www.vox.com/future-perfe...
The secret to better public housing
Subsidized housing can greatly improve the lives of low-income kids — if we design it right.
www.vox.com
February 6, 2026 at 1:46 PM
"The scarred legacy of the projects has strained public faith in public housing, but there is still an important role for government to play... cross-class living and mobility is, after all, the great promise of city life." ~@mbolotnikova.bsky.social
🎁 www.vox.com/future-perfe...
🎁 www.vox.com/future-perfe...
Reposted by Bennett
>doesn't know the lore
February 6, 2026 at 4:40 AM
>doesn't know the lore
Reposted by Bennett
If you have an interest in mixing computation and experiments to understand microbial evolution (for example antibiotic resistance) and you think you might be a good fit for a postdoc in my lab, reach out. If it seems it might be a fit I’m happy to help you frame it as AI for Biology per this call
Holy shit: it's an RFP for the NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Biology (PRFB). Hello old friend www.nsf.gov/funding/oppo...
Postdoctoral Research Fellowships in Biology (PRFB)
www.nsf.gov
February 6, 2026 at 1:04 AM
If you have an interest in mixing computation and experiments to understand microbial evolution (for example antibiotic resistance) and you think you might be a good fit for a postdoc in my lab, reach out. If it seems it might be a fit I’m happy to help you frame it as AI for Biology per this call
Reposted by Bennett
"In our book, Why We Fear AI, we argue that it is in fact precisely the error-prone and brittle nature of these systems that makes them work so well for political repression. 1/2
February 5, 2026 at 9:36 PM
"In our book, Why We Fear AI, we argue that it is in fact precisely the error-prone and brittle nature of these systems that makes them work so well for political repression. 1/2
Reposted by Bennett
i made a version of wikipedia you can doomscroll
xikipedia.org
xikipedia.org
February 1, 2026 at 11:43 PM
i made a version of wikipedia you can doomscroll
xikipedia.org
xikipedia.org
Reposted by Bennett
Does your research look beyond "AI disruption" to examine actual practices?
Along with @dipanjan-saha.bsky.social, we invite you to propose an abstract for our panel at the #EASST2026 conference in Kraków, 8–11 September.
Submit by 9 March here: nomadit.co.uk/conference/e...
#STS #EMCA #AI
Along with @dipanjan-saha.bsky.social, we invite you to propose an abstract for our panel at the #EASST2026 conference in Kraków, 8–11 September.
Submit by 9 March here: nomadit.co.uk/conference/e...
#STS #EMCA #AI
February 5, 2026 at 3:40 PM
Does your research look beyond "AI disruption" to examine actual practices?
Along with @dipanjan-saha.bsky.social, we invite you to propose an abstract for our panel at the #EASST2026 conference in Kraków, 8–11 September.
Submit by 9 March here: nomadit.co.uk/conference/e...
#STS #EMCA #AI
Along with @dipanjan-saha.bsky.social, we invite you to propose an abstract for our panel at the #EASST2026 conference in Kraków, 8–11 September.
Submit by 9 March here: nomadit.co.uk/conference/e...
#STS #EMCA #AI
Reposted by Bennett
Modern apartments have lower fire death rates than houses.
Yet codes require fourplexes to install commercial sprinklers, build dual staircases, and hire architects—while similar-sized single-family houses are exempt.
These costs block building smaller apartment buildings.
Yet codes require fourplexes to install commercial sprinklers, build dual staircases, and hire architects—while similar-sized single-family houses are exempt.
These costs block building smaller apartment buildings.
Apartments are safer and more affordable than single-family homes. Why do we treat them like a hazard? www.vox.com/future-perfe...
The hidden double standards driving our housing crisis
Apartments are safer and more affordable than single-family homes. Why do we treat them like a hazard?
www.vox.com
February 4, 2026 at 9:03 PM
Modern apartments have lower fire death rates than houses.
Yet codes require fourplexes to install commercial sprinklers, build dual staircases, and hire architects—while similar-sized single-family houses are exempt.
These costs block building smaller apartment buildings.
Yet codes require fourplexes to install commercial sprinklers, build dual staircases, and hire architects—while similar-sized single-family houses are exempt.
These costs block building smaller apartment buildings.
Reposted by Bennett
Important thread for understanding what AlphaGenome is and isn't (and the implications). Starting here and reading down, and/or from the top.
That is fine for getting results, and a facility like this could be very valuable for, say, assessing disease risk from genome sequence. It looks (like AlphaFold) like impressive work. But I worry that some might think, in consequence, “job done” – /20
January 30, 2026 at 10:31 AM
Important thread for understanding what AlphaGenome is and isn't (and the implications). Starting here and reading down, and/or from the top.
Reposted by Bennett
My story on Elon Musk cutting safeguards at xAI is on the front page of today's @washingtonpost.com. I’m also among 100’s of reporters laid off. I absolutely loved my job my brilliant coworkers & the thrill of reporting @ the center of forces upending the world: AI & Silicon Valley’s political power
February 4, 2026 at 7:40 PM
My story on Elon Musk cutting safeguards at xAI is on the front page of today's @washingtonpost.com. I’m also among 100’s of reporters laid off. I absolutely loved my job my brilliant coworkers & the thrill of reporting @ the center of forces upending the world: AI & Silicon Valley’s political power
Reposted by Bennett
I have many thoughts on this paper but for starters, these proponents of the UPF concept have a lot of nerve basically arguing "it is the empirical evidence that's wrong for contradicting our theory," as though they have some long-accepted theory about the world like gravity or natural selection
The ultraprocessed food conversation has well and truly jumped the shark. Now its proponents are opposing fortification, urging us to ignore the nutritional properties of foods, & conflating the extent and purpose of processing. Put this schema out of its misery already.
www.bmj.com/content/392/...
www.bmj.com/content/392/...
Misleading narrative of “healthy” ultraprocessed foods
A focus on “healthy” ultraprocessed foods is overstating benefits, legitimising industry narratives, and obscuring the priority of reducing overall consumption, argue Leandro Rezende and colleagues
...
www.bmj.com
January 30, 2026 at 12:04 AM
I have many thoughts on this paper but for starters, these proponents of the UPF concept have a lot of nerve basically arguing "it is the empirical evidence that's wrong for contradicting our theory," as though they have some long-accepted theory about the world like gravity or natural selection
Reposted by Bennett
Emphasizing that ICE *already* has money it can spend to buy as many body cameras as it wants; the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which gave ICE $29.9 BILLION for ICE removal operations, and specifically listed "information technology" as a valid use (or ICE could just reprogram the money).
House Republicans have proposed requiring the Trump administration to spend money on body cameras for ICE agents as part of the Department of Homeland Security funding bill lawmakers are currently negotiating, according to a senior GOP appropriator.
www.politico.com/live-updates...
www.politico.com/live-updates...
House GOP offer to Dems: Explicit funding for ICE body cameras following Minneapolis shooting
Rep. Mark Amodei, the House Republican negotiating the DHS funding bill, said the agency needs more law enforcement equipment under President Donald Trump.
www.politico.com
January 14, 2026 at 11:10 PM
Emphasizing that ICE *already* has money it can spend to buy as many body cameras as it wants; the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which gave ICE $29.9 BILLION for ICE removal operations, and specifically listed "information technology" as a valid use (or ICE could just reprogram the money).