Chris Chapman
@cchapman.bsky.social
UX researcher, psychologist. Author "Quantitative User Experience Research" (w/Rodden), "R | Python for Marketing Research and Analytics" (w/Feit & Schwarz). Previously 24 yrs @ Google, Amazon, Microsoft. Personal account.
Blog at https://quantuxblog.com
Blog at https://quantuxblog.com
Reposted by Chris Chapman
I read 96 books this year, and it was hard to pick favorites. I decided to highlight one from every month of the year! #booksky
I'll add some additional stats in this thread from The StoryGraph, too 🧵
I'll add some additional stats in this thread from The StoryGraph, too 🧵
December 31, 2025 at 5:27 AM
I read 96 books this year, and it was hard to pick favorites. I decided to highlight one from every month of the year! #booksky
I'll add some additional stats in this thread from The StoryGraph, too 🧵
I'll add some additional stats in this thread from The StoryGraph, too 🧵
Reposted by Chris Chapman
Open up this picture fully.
Then look at the surface of Mars.
Then look up to the top right.
Spot Mars' moon Phobos high in the sky.
Then notice the bright spot beside Phobos.
That's Earth.
Then look at the surface of Mars.
Then look up to the top right.
Spot Mars' moon Phobos high in the sky.
Then notice the bright spot beside Phobos.
That's Earth.
December 30, 2025 at 9:30 PM
Open up this picture fully.
Then look at the surface of Mars.
Then look up to the top right.
Spot Mars' moon Phobos high in the sky.
Then notice the bright spot beside Phobos.
That's Earth.
Then look at the surface of Mars.
Then look up to the top right.
Spot Mars' moon Phobos high in the sky.
Then notice the bright spot beside Phobos.
That's Earth.
Subscribed, and was delighted to find 5 years' worth of stories already compiled into a single convenient volume (PDF/mobi/epub)
That's worth the first couple of years right there, before the new stories to come (and the inherent reward of supporting a creator 👏)
That's worth the first couple of years right there, before the new stories to come (and the inherent reward of supporting a creator 👏)
One dollar. *Fifty sci-fi adventures today.* More every month. Think of it as your personal rebellion against doomscrolling. www.patreon.com/kameronhurley
Get more from Kameron Hurley on Patreon
creating Short Stories
www.patreon.com
December 31, 2025 at 12:18 AM
Subscribed, and was delighted to find 5 years' worth of stories already compiled into a single convenient volume (PDF/mobi/epub)
That's worth the first couple of years right there, before the new stories to come (and the inherent reward of supporting a creator 👏)
That's worth the first couple of years right there, before the new stories to come (and the inherent reward of supporting a creator 👏)
A very nice counterpoint to claims that LLMs are, in one way or another, uniquely suited to model human language. They're not.
* and even if LLMs were uniquely suited (again, they're not) it would not imply other larger claims about human cognition ... but that is a separate discussion.
* and even if LLMs were uniquely suited (again, they're not) it would not imply other larger claims about human cognition ... but that is a separate discussion.
We wrote a thing -- showing you don't need LLMs to model language production dynamics like the tendency for speakers to reduce predictable words. All you have to do is better model how speech rate varies depending on where a word is and how long the utterance is. arxiv.org/abs/2512.23659
Less is more: Probabilistic reduction is best explained by small-scale predictability measures
The primary research questions of this paper center on defining the amount of context that is necessary and/or appropriate when investigating the relationship between language model probabilities and ...
arxiv.org
December 30, 2025 at 11:24 PM
A very nice counterpoint to claims that LLMs are, in one way or another, uniquely suited to model human language. They're not.
* and even if LLMs were uniquely suited (again, they're not) it would not imply other larger claims about human cognition ... but that is a separate discussion.
* and even if LLMs were uniquely suited (again, they're not) it would not imply other larger claims about human cognition ... but that is a separate discussion.
Reposted by Chris Chapman
It's strange how rarely journalists covering this space can ask "Hey, but is it bullshit?". CEO's whose companies are over-leveraged, bubbly, and unprofitable promise a major breakthrough that will justify their fragile position and no one seems to *consider* they may be lying.
It's Theranos 2.0.
It's Theranos 2.0.
Gary, I hope you know that I really appreciate your views as a way to keep myself honest instead of falling into the easy traps of minimizing what AI can do.
Yet I find this kind of talk to strain credulity at best.
Yet I find this kind of talk to strain credulity at best.
Where Is All the A.I.-Driven Scientific Progress?
www.nytimes.com
December 30, 2025 at 5:44 PM
It's strange how rarely journalists covering this space can ask "Hey, but is it bullshit?". CEO's whose companies are over-leveraged, bubbly, and unprofitable promise a major breakthrough that will justify their fragile position and no one seems to *consider* they may be lying.
It's Theranos 2.0.
It's Theranos 2.0.
Social norms are ultimately up to us. Their abandonment is, yes, a cause for some despair ... but even more an indication of how they can change again.
Indeed, norms originate as responses to prior outrages, as @rebeccasolnit.bsky.social repeatedly illustrates in her essays and hope-filled books.
Indeed, norms originate as responses to prior outrages, as @rebeccasolnit.bsky.social repeatedly illustrates in her essays and hope-filled books.
"Between the administration and the opposition are actual opposites of principle: among those committed to inclusion and those to exclusion; truth and lies; kindness and cruelty; the protection and destruction of systems that in turn protect the climate or public health."
As we prepare for 2026, remember we have the power to make our future | Rebecca Solnit
We enter 2026 with radical uncertainty about the fate of the US – but also with the clarity that people have the power to determine what it will be
www.theguardian.com
December 30, 2025 at 4:01 PM
Social norms are ultimately up to us. Their abandonment is, yes, a cause for some despair ... but even more an indication of how they can change again.
Indeed, norms originate as responses to prior outrages, as @rebeccasolnit.bsky.social repeatedly illustrates in her essays and hope-filled books.
Indeed, norms originate as responses to prior outrages, as @rebeccasolnit.bsky.social repeatedly illustrates in her essays and hope-filled books.
Reposted by Chris Chapman
perennial complaint, i know: but c'mon if you're gonna spend all that time and money to make a movie and it's about academia, like spend twenty minutes talking to somebody to see if your script makes any sense. this is about sorry, baby.
December 30, 2025 at 2:24 AM
perennial complaint, i know: but c'mon if you're gonna spend all that time and money to make a movie and it's about academia, like spend twenty minutes talking to somebody to see if your script makes any sense. this is about sorry, baby.
Many friends and acquaintances are sick now in Washington State (as am I; some virus, maybe a cold)
Tracking data are not so great but here's a chart from the state that may be the best we have. Source: doh.wa.gov/sites/defaul...
See if you can eyeball the trend ...
P.S. Wear a mask!
Tracking data are not so great but here's a chart from the state that may be the best we have. Source: doh.wa.gov/sites/defaul...
See if you can eyeball the trend ...
P.S. Wear a mask!
December 29, 2025 at 9:20 PM
Many friends and acquaintances are sick now in Washington State (as am I; some virus, maybe a cold)
Tracking data are not so great but here's a chart from the state that may be the best we have. Source: doh.wa.gov/sites/defaul...
See if you can eyeball the trend ...
P.S. Wear a mask!
Tracking data are not so great but here's a chart from the state that may be the best we have. Source: doh.wa.gov/sites/defaul...
See if you can eyeball the trend ...
P.S. Wear a mask!
Reposted by Chris Chapman
So if you're a family evicted from your apartment, or a mother fleeing domestic violence with her children, or someone unhoused trying to get off the street or out of their car for a night... you're not allowed to stay at these Asheville hotels.
Just unabashed discrimination.
Just unabashed discrimination.
December 28, 2025 at 9:31 PM
So if you're a family evicted from your apartment, or a mother fleeing domestic violence with her children, or someone unhoused trying to get off the street or out of their car for a night... you're not allowed to stay at these Asheville hotels.
Just unabashed discrimination.
Just unabashed discrimination.
Ugh, had never heard of this kind of discrimination against homeless 😠
FWIW I stay in local hotels roughly once a year bc of snowstorms, power outages, early morning flights, conferences, concerts downtown, house renovations, etc. Or just staycation. Most recently while floors were redone.
FWIW I stay in local hotels roughly once a year bc of snowstorms, power outages, early morning flights, conferences, concerts downtown, house renovations, etc. Or just staycation. Most recently while floors were redone.
A Hampton Inn in Asheville just canceled my family's reservation because our address (incorrectly) showed Asheville—and the hotel bars locals within 50 miles.
When I asked why, they said, "because of our homeless population," adding that most hotels here have similar policies.
This is outrageous.
When I asked why, they said, "because of our homeless population," adding that most hotels here have similar policies.
This is outrageous.
December 29, 2025 at 3:05 AM
Ugh, had never heard of this kind of discrimination against homeless 😠
FWIW I stay in local hotels roughly once a year bc of snowstorms, power outages, early morning flights, conferences, concerts downtown, house renovations, etc. Or just staycation. Most recently while floors were redone.
FWIW I stay in local hotels roughly once a year bc of snowstorms, power outages, early morning flights, conferences, concerts downtown, house renovations, etc. Or just staycation. Most recently while floors were redone.
Reposted by Chris Chapman
I've switched recently from Profi (which has scant scientific evidence) to Azelastine spray (jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...)
it's available over the counter in the US and Australia, but annoyingly, not in Canada so I have to stock up when I'm in those countries.
it's available over the counter in the US and Australia, but annoyingly, not in Canada so I have to stock up when I'm in those countries.
Azelastine Nasal Spray for Prevention of SARS-CoV-2 Infections
This randomized clinical trial evaluates the efficacy of azelastine as a preexposure prophylaxis against SARS-CoV-2 and other respiratory pathogens.
jamanetwork.com
December 28, 2025 at 11:17 PM
I've switched recently from Profi (which has scant scientific evidence) to Azelastine spray (jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...)
it's available over the counter in the US and Australia, but annoyingly, not in Canada so I have to stock up when I'm in those countries.
it's available over the counter in the US and Australia, but annoyingly, not in Canada so I have to stock up when I'm in those countries.
Reposted by Chris Chapman
our data story visualizing the rabbit hole people can fall into with chatGPT is on the cover of today’s @washingtonpost.com @kevinschaul.bsky.social
December 28, 2025 at 5:51 PM
our data story visualizing the rabbit hole people can fall into with chatGPT is on the cover of today’s @washingtonpost.com @kevinschaul.bsky.social
Reposted by Chris Chapman
always strange to talk about but when i see everyone around me accepting sickness when i have been doing just one thing different while attending movies parties bars concerts flights…….i feel morally obligated to occasionally mention that wearing a mask has been a game changer. simple as that
December 28, 2025 at 12:11 AM
always strange to talk about but when i see everyone around me accepting sickness when i have been doing just one thing different while attending movies parties bars concerts flights…….i feel morally obligated to occasionally mention that wearing a mask has been a game changer. simple as that
Reposted by Chris Chapman
Let’s remember that if you reside in: New Jersey, Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas, Arizona, or Washington- come January 1, 2026 Medicare patients will be piloting a prior authorization program that not only utilizes AI as a decision maker, but that also gives vendors financial incentive to deny services…
December 8, 2025 at 8:05 PM
Let’s remember that if you reside in: New Jersey, Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas, Arizona, or Washington- come January 1, 2026 Medicare patients will be piloting a prior authorization program that not only utilizes AI as a decision maker, but that also gives vendors financial incentive to deny services…
Reposted by Chris Chapman
The one-shot and repeated extortion games have somewhat different equilibria
Even if they never actually file the lawsuit, even if its just Trump-like bluster intended to send a message, what message is it sending? Why would any musical company or artist risk contracting with a bunch of vengeful lunatics?
December 28, 2025 at 12:10 AM
The one-shot and repeated extortion games have somewhat different equilibria
Reposted by Chris Chapman
UX is like a jester.
The real role of the jester is to point out when the king is doing something stupid.
But tech execs thought that the jester's role was just to bring the bells and whistles. They ignored the warnings, bolted AI onto everything for no reason, and are now shocked by the backlash.
The real role of the jester is to point out when the king is doing something stupid.
But tech execs thought that the jester's role was just to bring the bells and whistles. They ignored the warnings, bolted AI onto everything for no reason, and are now shocked by the backlash.
AI Fatigue VS the Executive Echo Chamber
The backlash against "AI-in-everything" is rising. Only execs are surprised.
productpicnic.beehiiv.com
December 20, 2025 at 10:17 PM
UX is like a jester.
The real role of the jester is to point out when the king is doing something stupid.
But tech execs thought that the jester's role was just to bring the bells and whistles. They ignored the warnings, bolted AI onto everything for no reason, and are now shocked by the backlash.
The real role of the jester is to point out when the king is doing something stupid.
But tech execs thought that the jester's role was just to bring the bells and whistles. They ignored the warnings, bolted AI onto everything for no reason, and are now shocked by the backlash.
Attention @mazdausa.bsky.social
My last 4 car purchases were all Mazdas
... but I've removed the new (2026) CX-5 from consideration for my next one because it uses a touchscreen for crucial interactions
(P.S. I am a former industrial design researcher)
My last 4 car purchases were all Mazdas
... but I've removed the new (2026) CX-5 from consideration for my next one because it uses a touchscreen for crucial interactions
(P.S. I am a former industrial design researcher)
Amazingly, reaction times using screens while driving are worse than being drunk or high—no wonder 90 percent of drivers hate using touchscreens in cars. Finally the auto industry is coming to its senses.
Rejoice! Carmakers Are Embracing Physical Buttons Again
Amazingly, reaction times using screens while driving are worse than being drunk or high—no wonder 90 percent of drivers hate using touchscreens in cars. Finally the auto industry is coming to its…
wrd.cm
December 27, 2025 at 10:07 PM
Attention @mazdausa.bsky.social
My last 4 car purchases were all Mazdas
... but I've removed the new (2026) CX-5 from consideration for my next one because it uses a touchscreen for crucial interactions
(P.S. I am a former industrial design researcher)
My last 4 car purchases were all Mazdas
... but I've removed the new (2026) CX-5 from consideration for my next one because it uses a touchscreen for crucial interactions
(P.S. I am a former industrial design researcher)
Brilliant @dahlialithwick.bsky.social & @mjsdc.bsky.social podcast to end 2025.
It tackles a big but rarely-asked question: Why? Why is SCOTUS all in ... regardless of precedent, lower courts, public opinion, and logic? Their answer is compelling (if depressing).
slate.com/podcasts/ami...
It tackles a big but rarely-asked question: Why? Why is SCOTUS all in ... regardless of precedent, lower courts, public opinion, and logic? Their answer is compelling (if depressing).
slate.com/podcasts/ami...
A Unified Theory of What the MAGA Justices Are Thinking
Why SCOTUS will keep writing blank checks to the president next year.
slate.com
December 27, 2025 at 9:57 PM
Brilliant @dahlialithwick.bsky.social & @mjsdc.bsky.social podcast to end 2025.
It tackles a big but rarely-asked question: Why? Why is SCOTUS all in ... regardless of precedent, lower courts, public opinion, and logic? Their answer is compelling (if depressing).
slate.com/podcasts/ami...
It tackles a big but rarely-asked question: Why? Why is SCOTUS all in ... regardless of precedent, lower courts, public opinion, and logic? Their answer is compelling (if depressing).
slate.com/podcasts/ami...
Reposted by Chris Chapman
Looking at a late 70’s Porsche 911 Targa sitting in between a “small” chevrolet Bolt and a mid-sized Toyota Corolla makes you realize how big automobiles have gotten over the years. The Porsche looks absolutely tiny between them.
May 16, 2024 at 2:51 AM
Looking at a late 70’s Porsche 911 Targa sitting in between a “small” chevrolet Bolt and a mid-sized Toyota Corolla makes you realize how big automobiles have gotten over the years. The Porsche looks absolutely tiny between them.
Reposted by Chris Chapman
Well now, would you look at that? A massive, 4-YEAR-LONG study of NEARLY 30 MILLION people in France found that individuals who received a COVID-19 mRNA vaccine had a 74% LOWER risk of death from severe COVID-19 compared to unvaccinated individuals and ZERO increased risk of all-cause mortality.
December 26, 2025 at 5:00 PM
Well now, would you look at that? A massive, 4-YEAR-LONG study of NEARLY 30 MILLION people in France found that individuals who received a COVID-19 mRNA vaccine had a 74% LOWER risk of death from severe COVID-19 compared to unvaccinated individuals and ZERO increased risk of all-cause mortality.
Reposted by Chris Chapman
Sciences like anthropology are so valuable because they provide refutations to "this is the way it always was, and thus the way it has to be" type assertions. Its very different to the science I do, but perhaps even more valuable.
honestly something i'm noticing is that whenever a midwit hack wants to make an empirical claim about "the way humanity is" without reading any social science they always just go to primatology
December 26, 2025 at 12:34 PM
Sciences like anthropology are so valuable because they provide refutations to "this is the way it always was, and thus the way it has to be" type assertions. Its very different to the science I do, but perhaps even more valuable.
Reposted by Chris Chapman
When I posted a version of this video last year, I underestimated the equivalent energy of a magnitude 9.1 earthquake relative to a nuclear blast by a factor of 10. This time I’ve quantified it using the Trinity test (as seen in the movie Oppenheimer). The 1957 underground test was 10x smaller again
December 26, 2025 at 7:19 AM
When I posted a version of this video last year, I underestimated the equivalent energy of a magnitude 9.1 earthquake relative to a nuclear blast by a factor of 10. This time I’ve quantified it using the Trinity test (as seen in the movie Oppenheimer). The 1957 underground test was 10x smaller again
Reposted by Chris Chapman
It’s not “losing money” any more than air traffic controllers or public highways or street lights or fire departments are “losing money.” It is a government service. It’s not SUPPOSED to make money. It’s supposed to reliably deliver to anywhere in the US, even the unprofitable places.
The USPS faces a tight squeeze. With fewer people using the mail, it’s lost more and more money: $9 billion in the 12 months ending in September alone.
https://cnn.it/4qkeNoF
https://cnn.it/4qkeNoF
December 24, 2025 at 5:33 PM
It’s not “losing money” any more than air traffic controllers or public highways or street lights or fire departments are “losing money.” It is a government service. It’s not SUPPOSED to make money. It’s supposed to reliably deliver to anywhere in the US, even the unprofitable places.
"Executives at Salesforce have expressed a loss of confidence in LLMs due to their unpredictability ..."
[and following the previous LLM strategy]
"... the company’s stock has experienced a decline of 34% from its peak"
[and following the previous LLM strategy]
"... the company’s stock has experienced a decline of 34% from its peak"
Salesforce in the summer: "AI is doing 50% of the work at Salesforce"
Salesforce now: "AI? I don't know her"
Salesforce now: "AI? I don't know her"
Salesforce Steps Back from AI: Executives Reveal Overconfidence in LLMs, Pivot to Deterministic Automation
Salesforce is rethinking its AI strategy after laying off 4,000 employees and deploying Agentforce, an AI-driven automation tool, to streamline operations. Executives are moving away from large langua...
opentools.ai
December 24, 2025 at 5:30 PM
"Executives at Salesforce have expressed a loss of confidence in LLMs due to their unpredictability ..."
[and following the previous LLM strategy]
"... the company’s stock has experienced a decline of 34% from its peak"
[and following the previous LLM strategy]
"... the company’s stock has experienced a decline of 34% from its peak"
Reposted by Chris Chapman
"I refuse." This is it. There's no reason we should accept a narrative of an already settled future which marginalizes humans and individual agency. No one wants this. No one asked for it.
"This promise of an AI future, is really just a collective anxiety that wealthy people have about how well they're gonna be able to control us in the future."
- @tressiemcphd.bsky.social with an absolute mic drop moment about AI bullshit.
Incredible words.
Listen to all of it!
- @tressiemcphd.bsky.social with an absolute mic drop moment about AI bullshit.
Incredible words.
Listen to all of it!
December 19, 2025 at 1:21 PM
"I refuse." This is it. There's no reason we should accept a narrative of an already settled future which marginalizes humans and individual agency. No one wants this. No one asked for it.