Brenton Wiernik
@bwiernik.bsky.social
Reposted by Brenton Wiernik
I appreciate the intention but I really wish that faculty paid much less attention to these personal statements. You have no idea who wrote them (esp. in the age of LLMs) and applicants for whom English is not their primary language may be stellar but not be able to ace these types of nuances.
It’s grad school application season, and I wanted to give some public advice.
Caveats:
-*-*-*-*
> These are my opinions, based on my experiences, they are not secret tricks or guarantees
> They are general guidelines, not meant to cover a host of idiosyncrasies and special cases
Caveats:
-*-*-*-*
> These are my opinions, based on my experiences, they are not secret tricks or guarantees
> They are general guidelines, not meant to cover a host of idiosyncrasies and special cases
November 6, 2025 at 8:46 PM
I appreciate the intention but I really wish that faculty paid much less attention to these personal statements. You have no idea who wrote them (esp. in the age of LLMs) and applicants for whom English is not their primary language may be stellar but not be able to ace these types of nuances.
Reposted by Brenton Wiernik
In the last week, states of emergency declared for kidnappings & starvation.
Washington County declares emergency over increased ICE activity
Hillsboro, Washington County set aside a combined $400,000 to help communities impacted by immigration arrests.
opb.org
November 6, 2025 at 2:18 AM
In the last week, states of emergency declared for kidnappings & starvation.
Reposted by Brenton Wiernik
How does employer access to prisoners’ labor through work release impact the well-being of those workers & of free workers?
New working paper by Sue Helper, Suresh Naidu, Akseli Palomaki, Adam Reich, + me provides evidence, focus on auto manufacturing in AL
#EconSky
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
New working paper by Sue Helper, Suresh Naidu, Akseli Palomaki, Adam Reich, + me provides evidence, focus on auto manufacturing in AL
#EconSky
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
November 3, 2025 at 2:20 PM
How does employer access to prisoners’ labor through work release impact the well-being of those workers & of free workers?
New working paper by Sue Helper, Suresh Naidu, Akseli Palomaki, Adam Reich, + me provides evidence, focus on auto manufacturing in AL
#EconSky
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
New working paper by Sue Helper, Suresh Naidu, Akseli Palomaki, Adam Reich, + me provides evidence, focus on auto manufacturing in AL
#EconSky
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
Reposted by Brenton Wiernik
Drivers kill 40,000 Americans and injure and maim hundreds of thousands every year and throw ranging temper tantrums when anyone suggests they delay arriving at their destination by five minutes to stem the bloodletting.
It's not that every individual driver is a murderous asshole (I'm not!). It's that car dependency as a whole is dangerous. It's that cars are deadly when they hit people. It's that our society prioritizes drivers above all else. It's about a system that is dangerous for anyone not in a car.
October 31, 2025 at 5:51 PM
Drivers kill 40,000 Americans and injure and maim hundreds of thousands every year and throw ranging temper tantrums when anyone suggests they delay arriving at their destination by five minutes to stem the bloodletting.
Reposted by Brenton Wiernik
Python Software Foundation put their money where their mouth is. Bravo. It’s easy to be inclusive when it’s popular, but PSF chose valuing people over $1.5m in gov money.
TLDR; The PSF has made the decision to put our community and our shared diversity, equity, and inclusion values ahead of seeking $1.5M in new revenue. Please read and share. pyfound.blogspot.com/2025/10/NSF-...
🧵
🧵
The official home of the Python Programming Language
www.python.org
October 29, 2025 at 2:58 AM
Python Software Foundation put their money where their mouth is. Bravo. It’s easy to be inclusive when it’s popular, but PSF chose valuing people over $1.5m in gov money.
Reposted by Brenton Wiernik
I think my favorite planning term is “traffic calming” because it shows planners admit cars are more often problematic to cities
October 4, 2025 at 12:13 AM
I think my favorite planning term is “traffic calming” because it shows planners admit cars are more often problematic to cities
Reposted by Brenton Wiernik
man, that's wild, what killed them?
In 2024, 7,100 pedestrians were killed on the road, and in recent years, more than 1,000 cyclists have been hit and killed annually. Safety experts explain how bikers and walkers can stay safe.
8 walking and biking safety tips that just might save your life
In 2024, 7,100 pedestrians were killed on the road, and in recent years, more than 1,000 cyclists have been hit and killed annually. Safety experts explain how bikers and walkers can stay safe.
n.pr
September 27, 2025 at 11:20 AM
man, that's wild, what killed them?
Reposted by Brenton Wiernik
“He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.
“He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.”
-Declaration of Independence
“He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.”
-Declaration of Independence
Trump says he authorizes Hegseth to deploy the military to Portland, which he lyingly calls "war ravaged," and says he is authorizing "full force."
September 27, 2025 at 3:45 PM
“He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.
“He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.”
-Declaration of Independence
“He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.”
-Declaration of Independence
Reposted by Brenton Wiernik
"No vaccine was tested more extensively than the RNA vaccines, and no vaccine was given to more people than the mRNA vaccines, & they were found to be incredibly safe...and effective. They saved 20 million lives, & they stopped a pandemic that was shutting down the world."
-Drew Weissman
-Drew Weissman
Winner of mRNA Nobel Prize says ACIP member’s claim that Covid vaccines persist is “absolutely impossible”
In Q&A, Drew Weissman says vast literature shows Covid shots are safe, refutes claims from Retsef Levi
www.statnews.com/2025/09/20/d...
In Q&A, Drew Weissman says vast literature shows Covid shots are safe, refutes claims from Retsef Levi
www.statnews.com/2025/09/20/d...
Winner of mRNA Nobel Prize says ACIP member’s claim that Covid vaccines persist is “absolutely impossible”
In a Q&A with STAT, Nobel winner Drew Weissman addressed concerns raised about Covid shots at a recent meeting of federal vaccine advisers.
www.statnews.com
September 20, 2025 at 3:23 PM
"No vaccine was tested more extensively than the RNA vaccines, and no vaccine was given to more people than the mRNA vaccines, & they were found to be incredibly safe...and effective. They saved 20 million lives, & they stopped a pandemic that was shutting down the world."
-Drew Weissman
-Drew Weissman
This post is a fascinating appreciation of what makes #rstats work so well, and in a lot of ways, #CSL_citationstyles is very similar. The centralization and fierce attention to non-programmer end users is what makes these projects work.
Really insightful post from Julie Tibshirani (spotted in LinkedIn, can't find on Bsky) reflecting on #rstats 's unique governance structure and what can be learned for other languages
jtibs.substack.com/p/if-all-the...
jtibs.substack.com/p/if-all-the...
If all the world were a monorepo
The R ecosystem and the case for extreme empathy in software maintenance
jtibs.substack.com
September 15, 2025 at 12:30 AM
This post is a fascinating appreciation of what makes #rstats work so well, and in a lot of ways, #CSL_citationstyles is very similar. The centralization and fierce attention to non-programmer end users is what makes these projects work.
Reposted by Brenton Wiernik
🚨Border Patrol arrested two firefighters who were actively fighting a wildfire at the time.
When the other members of the crew asked for a chance to say goodbye, a Border Patrol agent told the crew member “you need to get the f*ck out of here. I’m going to make you leave.”
When the other members of the crew asked for a chance to say goodbye, a Border Patrol agent told the crew member “you need to get the f*ck out of here. I’m going to make you leave.”
August 28, 2025 at 2:51 AM
🚨Border Patrol arrested two firefighters who were actively fighting a wildfire at the time.
When the other members of the crew asked for a chance to say goodbye, a Border Patrol agent told the crew member “you need to get the f*ck out of here. I’m going to make you leave.”
When the other members of the crew asked for a chance to say goodbye, a Border Patrol agent told the crew member “you need to get the f*ck out of here. I’m going to make you leave.”
Reposted by Brenton Wiernik
This is the essence of it to me.
If the price of groceries is a kitchen table issue, then being too afraid of masked men -- who demand to see your identification while showing none of their own -- kidnapping you or your neighbors on the grocery store surely is a kitchen table issue too
If the price of groceries is a kitchen table issue, then being too afraid of masked men -- who demand to see your identification while showing none of their own -- kidnapping you or your neighbors on the grocery store surely is a kitchen table issue too
August 25, 2025 at 3:49 PM
This is the essence of it to me.
If the price of groceries is a kitchen table issue, then being too afraid of masked men -- who demand to see your identification while showing none of their own -- kidnapping you or your neighbors on the grocery store surely is a kitchen table issue too
If the price of groceries is a kitchen table issue, then being too afraid of masked men -- who demand to see your identification while showing none of their own -- kidnapping you or your neighbors on the grocery store surely is a kitchen table issue too
Reposted by Brenton Wiernik
Ever stared at a table of regression coefficients & wondered what you're doing with your life?
Very excited to share this gentle introduction to another way of making sense of statistical models (w @vincentab.bsky.social)
Preprint: doi.org/10.31234/osf...
Website: j-rohrer.github.io/marginal-psy...
Very excited to share this gentle introduction to another way of making sense of statistical models (w @vincentab.bsky.social)
Preprint: doi.org/10.31234/osf...
Website: j-rohrer.github.io/marginal-psy...
August 25, 2025 at 11:49 AM
Ever stared at a table of regression coefficients & wondered what you're doing with your life?
Very excited to share this gentle introduction to another way of making sense of statistical models (w @vincentab.bsky.social)
Preprint: doi.org/10.31234/osf...
Website: j-rohrer.github.io/marginal-psy...
Very excited to share this gentle introduction to another way of making sense of statistical models (w @vincentab.bsky.social)
Preprint: doi.org/10.31234/osf...
Website: j-rohrer.github.io/marginal-psy...
Reposted by Brenton Wiernik
Remember, whenever you hear that “speed wasn’t a factor” in a deadly crash, what they mean is that the car involved wasn’t technically speeding. At least “not by much.” It presumes that the speed limit wasn’t too high to begin with.
When it comes to death from collisions, SPEED IS ALWAYS a factor.
When it comes to death from collisions, SPEED IS ALWAYS a factor.
August 21, 2025 at 6:26 PM
Remember, whenever you hear that “speed wasn’t a factor” in a deadly crash, what they mean is that the car involved wasn’t technically speeding. At least “not by much.” It presumes that the speed limit wasn’t too high to begin with.
When it comes to death from collisions, SPEED IS ALWAYS a factor.
When it comes to death from collisions, SPEED IS ALWAYS a factor.
Reposted by Brenton Wiernik
as with vaccines and many other advances, the problem isn’t uncertainty about the truth — rather a willingness to deny or undermine it to humanity’s detriment
Climate models since the 1970s nailed it—most predicted global warming almost exactly as it happened.
August 18, 2025 at 12:38 AM
as with vaccines and many other advances, the problem isn’t uncertainty about the truth — rather a willingness to deny or undermine it to humanity’s detriment
Reposted by Brenton Wiernik
This video from Fairmount Bagels in Montreal from their Instagram is the most impressive thing I've ever seen
August 15, 2025 at 7:00 PM
This video from Fairmount Bagels in Montreal from their Instagram is the most impressive thing I've ever seen
Reposted by Brenton Wiernik
Unemployment for computer science majors 2x that of art history majors www.nytimes.com/2025/08/10/t...
August 10, 2025 at 3:10 PM
Unemployment for computer science majors 2x that of art history majors www.nytimes.com/2025/08/10/t...
Reposted by Brenton Wiernik
what's in your view the best data-visualization technique/type of plot/chart? in terms of concisely conveying information effectively and aiding substantive understanding. obviously depends hugely the use case, etc. but if you had to pick one in a vacuum?
April 17, 2025 at 6:52 PM
what's in your view the best data-visualization technique/type of plot/chart? in terms of concisely conveying information effectively and aiding substantive understanding. obviously depends hugely the use case, etc. but if you had to pick one in a vacuum?
Reposted by Brenton Wiernik
Dotplots
With good defaulta it beats the obvious alternatives, scales better than people think (like 10000+ data points) and isn't as sensitive to binwidth or bandwidth estimators
Density? Nope dotplot
Histogram? Nope dotplot
Violin? Nope dotplot
With good defaulta it beats the obvious alternatives, scales better than people think (like 10000+ data points) and isn't as sensitive to binwidth or bandwidth estimators
Density? Nope dotplot
Histogram? Nope dotplot
Violin? Nope dotplot
what's in your view the best data-visualization technique/type of plot/chart? in terms of concisely conveying information effectively and aiding substantive understanding. obviously depends hugely the use case, etc. but if you had to pick one in a vacuum?
April 18, 2025 at 12:47 AM
Dotplots
With good defaulta it beats the obvious alternatives, scales better than people think (like 10000+ data points) and isn't as sensitive to binwidth or bandwidth estimators
Density? Nope dotplot
Histogram? Nope dotplot
Violin? Nope dotplot
With good defaulta it beats the obvious alternatives, scales better than people think (like 10000+ data points) and isn't as sensitive to binwidth or bandwidth estimators
Density? Nope dotplot
Histogram? Nope dotplot
Violin? Nope dotplot
Reposted by Brenton Wiernik
I mentioned recently that Salem, Massachusetts is proposing the elimination of parking minimums. A city councilor did a great FAQ on the proposal and on parking minimums generally. Some great information and talking points here!
August 1, 2025 at 12:56 PM
I mentioned recently that Salem, Massachusetts is proposing the elimination of parking minimums. A city councilor did a great FAQ on the proposal and on parking minimums generally. Some great information and talking points here!
Reposted by Brenton Wiernik
Attack on judiciary is entirely possible because SCOTUS has signaled they will give this administration what they want.
DOJ escalates its attacks on judges who rule against Trump
July 29, 2025 at 2:47 AM
Attack on judiciary is entirely possible because SCOTUS has signaled they will give this administration what they want.
@ifbookspod.bsky.social The hurricane study is even sadder than you discussed. ICYMI, average damage is higher for women- vs men-named storms, but that’s because _all_ storms used to have women names, and response tactics have improved over time. It’s all an artifact of recent vs older storms.
July 28, 2025 at 2:01 PM
@ifbookspod.bsky.social The hurricane study is even sadder than you discussed. ICYMI, average damage is higher for women- vs men-named storms, but that’s because _all_ storms used to have women names, and response tactics have improved over time. It’s all an artifact of recent vs older storms.
Reposted by Brenton Wiernik
New development doesn’t cause gentrification, it prevents it. Not building in high demand areas is what causes it. Proven yet again
A new paper by Vincent Rollet at MIT replicates Li's 2022 finding that new construction reduces rents within a 500-foot radius in NYC vrollet.github.io/files/city_s...
July 25, 2025 at 5:05 AM
New development doesn’t cause gentrification, it prevents it. Not building in high demand areas is what causes it. Proven yet again
Reposted by Brenton Wiernik
It’s so funny that Q was right: there is an organization dedicated to defending powerful pedophiles who steal from working people on behalf of the corrupt elite.
It’s called the Republican Party.
It’s called the Republican Party.
Mike Johnson on canceling Congress until September: "We're not going to play political games with [Epstein]"
July 22, 2025 at 5:23 PM
It’s so funny that Q was right: there is an organization dedicated to defending powerful pedophiles who steal from working people on behalf of the corrupt elite.
It’s called the Republican Party.
It’s called the Republican Party.