Carrie Muir
@cmuirmath.bsky.social
Community college math professor in the PNW (USA). Misses the early bird app, glad to find old friends (and new ones) here. Neurodivergent, queer, spoonie. Nerd, geek, fandoms random. Probably caffeinating. Pronouns in bio: she/her or they/them
Reposted by Carrie Muir
Loved the newest piece from @bakerdphd.bsky.social's Inside Higher Ed blog today, and appreciated its attention to both historical context and the current power dynamics which make "institutional neutraility" far from neutral.
How Elite Colleges Aided Censorship During the Red Scares
Powerful organizations during the Red Scares crafted a world where “academic freedom” was conditional on political allegiance.
www.insidehighered.com
February 10, 2026 at 1:51 PM
Loved the newest piece from @bakerdphd.bsky.social's Inside Higher Ed blog today, and appreciated its attention to both historical context and the current power dynamics which make "institutional neutraility" far from neutral.
Reposted by Carrie Muir
Since the early days of the space program, astronauts have quarantined before missions because any illness could be disastrous. It’s eminently logical — not “extreme” — for athletes who’ve trained their WHOLE LIVES for one event to take similar precautions in order to stay in peak physical condition
For most people, the pandemic days of masking are behind us. In certain corners of the Winter Olympics, though, things still look a lot like they did in Covid times. Some athletes are taking extreme measures to stay healthy. n.pr/4akK70l
Olympic Covid restrictions are gone, but some athletes still self-quarantining
For most people, the pandemic days of masking are behind us. In certain corners of the Winter Olympics, though, things still look a lot like they did in Covid times. Some athletes are taking extreme measures to stay healthy.
n.pr
February 9, 2026 at 4:39 PM
Since the early days of the space program, astronauts have quarantined before missions because any illness could be disastrous. It’s eminently logical — not “extreme” — for athletes who’ve trained their WHOLE LIVES for one event to take similar precautions in order to stay in peak physical condition
Reposted by Carrie Muir
Our friend the Hispaniolan Armored Toad was first described in 2018 and is only known from a single location in the Dominican Republic! Their skin is very rough and bumpy, and they have prominent armored ridges on their head, giving them their name! (photo by Judá Isaí Martínez Uribe)
February 9, 2026 at 5:00 PM
Our friend the Hispaniolan Armored Toad was first described in 2018 and is only known from a single location in the Dominican Republic! Their skin is very rough and bumpy, and they have prominent armored ridges on their head, giving them their name! (photo by Judá Isaí Martínez Uribe)
Reposted by Carrie Muir
It's a once in a lifetime chance. They've spent, in most cases, dozens of years training for this, dedicating their lives to this moment, because the difference between gold and nothing may be a 1% difference.
There's nothing "extreme" about not wanting to lose a gold medal because you had a cold.
There's nothing "extreme" about not wanting to lose a gold medal because you had a cold.
For most people, the pandemic days of masking are behind us. In certain corners of the Winter Olympics, though, things still look a lot like they did in Covid times. Some athletes are taking extreme measures to stay healthy. n.pr/4akK70l
Olympic Covid restrictions are gone, but some athletes still self-quarantining
For most people, the pandemic days of masking are behind us. In certain corners of the Winter Olympics, though, things still look a lot like they did in Covid times. Some athletes are taking extreme measures to stay healthy.
n.pr
February 9, 2026 at 4:56 PM
It's a once in a lifetime chance. They've spent, in most cases, dozens of years training for this, dedicating their lives to this moment, because the difference between gold and nothing may be a 1% difference.
There's nothing "extreme" about not wanting to lose a gold medal because you had a cold.
There's nothing "extreme" about not wanting to lose a gold medal because you had a cold.
"Kind is very different from nice. Be kind, and don’t worry about nice."
Today’s advice from your Goth Auntie
-Stop slouching, drink some water, take your meds.
-Kind is very different from nice. Be kind, and don’t worry about nice.
-The Thing in the Walls offered to make handkerchiefs for me out of cat fur. I declined, but thanked it for the idea.
❤️ Auntie Jilli
-Stop slouching, drink some water, take your meds.
-Kind is very different from nice. Be kind, and don’t worry about nice.
-The Thing in the Walls offered to make handkerchiefs for me out of cat fur. I declined, but thanked it for the idea.
❤️ Auntie Jilli
February 9, 2026 at 7:42 PM
"Kind is very different from nice. Be kind, and don’t worry about nice."
Reposted by Carrie Muir
If you stopped masking, you can always just start again! It's not a skill you have to work on. There are no gatekeepers who will kick you out of masking club for not having kept up with it. It protects you and others. There's literally no reason not to do it! #MaskUp
My colleague, out sick with her third cold of the school year: "Maybe I should go back to masking full time."
Me, wearing my mask, still COVID free, and having gotten only one cold in the last 6 years: "Um, yeah, no shit."
Me, wearing my mask, still COVID free, and having gotten only one cold in the last 6 years: "Um, yeah, no shit."
February 9, 2026 at 6:40 PM
If you stopped masking, you can always just start again! It's not a skill you have to work on. There are no gatekeepers who will kick you out of masking club for not having kept up with it. It protects you and others. There's literally no reason not to do it! #MaskUp
Reposted by Carrie Muir
Reposted by Carrie Muir
Why is the far side of the Moon so different from the near side? The answer may lie in a primordial asteroid impact, based on data from the Chang'e-6 mission. My latest for @eos.org has the story: eos.org/articles/pri... 🧪🔭
Primordial Impact May Explain Why the Moon Is Asymmetrical - Eos
Analysis of surface samples from the Chang’e-6 mission suggests that an asteroid may have vaporized parts of the lunar mantle, suppressing volcanic activity on the farside of the Moon.
eos.org
February 9, 2026 at 2:17 PM
Why is the far side of the Moon so different from the near side? The answer may lie in a primordial asteroid impact, based on data from the Chang'e-6 mission. My latest for @eos.org has the story: eos.org/articles/pri... 🧪🔭
Reposted by Carrie Muir
This question is weirdly hard, bc the starting place itself is a result of anti-trans propganda shaping the debate.
Trans surgeries, for all ages, are vastly rarer than hormone therapy only, which is itself rarer than social adjustments alone.
Youth trans surgeries are *incredibly* rare.
Trans surgeries, for all ages, are vastly rarer than hormone therapy only, which is itself rarer than social adjustments alone.
Youth trans surgeries are *incredibly* rare.
Genuinely curious: I thought that was the general guidance all along? Puberty blockers or hormone prescriptions for youth, but surgery later on?
February 9, 2026 at 2:09 PM
This question is weirdly hard, bc the starting place itself is a result of anti-trans propganda shaping the debate.
Trans surgeries, for all ages, are vastly rarer than hormone therapy only, which is itself rarer than social adjustments alone.
Youth trans surgeries are *incredibly* rare.
Trans surgeries, for all ages, are vastly rarer than hormone therapy only, which is itself rarer than social adjustments alone.
Youth trans surgeries are *incredibly* rare.
Reposted by Carrie Muir
To meet students where they are at is not some euphemism for taking it easy. It’s a call to consider that our students bring with them a range of experiences and expertise, and we should be mindful of that when planning out your courses and daily plans.
February 9, 2026 at 1:59 PM
To meet students where they are at is not some euphemism for taking it easy. It’s a call to consider that our students bring with them a range of experiences and expertise, and we should be mindful of that when planning out your courses and daily plans.
Reposted by Carrie Muir
One of my favorite annual resources is now live-- The 2025 Locus Recommended Reading List:
raforall.blogspot.com/2026/02/reso...
raforall.blogspot.com/2026/02/reso...
Resource Alert: 2025 Locus Recommended Reading List
Each February, Locus Magazine comes out with their Recommended Reading List . It is an exhaustive list of all the best Speculative Fiction ...
raforall.blogspot.com
February 9, 2026 at 3:00 PM
One of my favorite annual resources is now live-- The 2025 Locus Recommended Reading List:
raforall.blogspot.com/2026/02/reso...
raforall.blogspot.com/2026/02/reso...
Reposted by Carrie Muir
Botany valentine. Another oldie.
February 9, 2026 at 3:03 PM
Botany valentine. Another oldie.
Reposted by Carrie Muir
Reposted by Carrie Muir
“Researchers from Johns Hopkins, Georgetown and Yale universities recently found that 60 FDA-authorized medical devices using AI were linked to 182 product recalls, according to a research letter published in the JAMA Health Forum in August.”
As AI enters the operating room, reports arise of botched surgeries and misidentified body parts
Medical device makers have been rushing to add AI to their products. While proponents say the new technology will revolutionize medicine, regulators are receiving a rising number of claims of patient ...
www.reuters.com
February 9, 2026 at 12:42 PM
“Researchers from Johns Hopkins, Georgetown and Yale universities recently found that 60 FDA-authorized medical devices using AI were linked to 182 product recalls, according to a research letter published in the JAMA Health Forum in August.”
Reposted by Carrie Muir
1/ There has never been a more concentrated distillation of my teaching than this lesson: Algos, Bias, Due Process, & You. It is the apotheosis of what I do. I very much hope you enjoy it, share it, and make bits of it your own.
Algos, Bias, Due Process, & You — Suffolk LIT Lab
TL;DR: I built a bunch of highly-modular online simulations you can use with your students. They cover automation bias, the false positive paradox, competing definitions of fairness, disparate impact ...
suffolklitlab.org
February 9, 2026 at 1:45 PM
1/ There has never been a more concentrated distillation of my teaching than this lesson: Algos, Bias, Due Process, & You. It is the apotheosis of what I do. I very much hope you enjoy it, share it, and make bits of it your own.
Reposted by Carrie Muir
February 8, 2026 at 4:09 PM
Reposted by Carrie Muir
I got to spend part of my morning with this adorable pupper. This is Maggie, my friend’s nine month old basset hound. She loves everybody and I love her.
February 8, 2026 at 11:12 PM
I got to spend part of my morning with this adorable pupper. This is Maggie, my friend’s nine month old basset hound. She loves everybody and I love her.
Reposted by Carrie Muir
It's #SuperbOwl time! Here's an American Barn Owl on scratchboard 🪶🧪🐡
February 8, 2026 at 11:39 PM
It's #SuperbOwl time! Here's an American Barn Owl on scratchboard 🪶🧪🐡
Reposted by Carrie Muir
Happy #SuperbOwl day!
A Short-eared owl hunts a prairie marsh in the fog.
#Birds #photography #wildlife
🪶
A Short-eared owl hunts a prairie marsh in the fog.
#Birds #photography #wildlife
🪶
February 8, 2026 at 11:27 PM
Happy #SuperbOwl day!
A Short-eared owl hunts a prairie marsh in the fog.
#Birds #photography #wildlife
🪶
A Short-eared owl hunts a prairie marsh in the fog.
#Birds #photography #wildlife
🪶
Reposted by Carrie Muir
I didn't know this about In Living Color and its impact on the Superbowl Halftime Show! God I loved this show so much as a kid, I wanted to be a Fly Girl SO bad, I thought they were the coolest women on earth.
📺 I’ll always love this story/event. One of many examples of Black creators having a HUGE impact on pop culture.
This episode took MILLIONS of viewers away from CBS during Super Bowl XXVI’s halftime to the point in which it forced the NFL to make big changes for Super Bowl halftime entertainment. 🏈
This episode took MILLIONS of viewers away from CBS during Super Bowl XXVI’s halftime to the point in which it forced the NFL to make big changes for Super Bowl halftime entertainment. 🏈
- there would be no #SuperBowlHalfTimeShow without #InLivingColor. January 26, 1992. never forget.
February 8, 2026 at 10:27 PM
I didn't know this about In Living Color and its impact on the Superbowl Halftime Show! God I loved this show so much as a kid, I wanted to be a Fly Girl SO bad, I thought they were the coolest women on earth.
Reposted by Carrie Muir
The thing about LLMs is that answers that are correct and answers that are wildly wrong are presented with *exactly the same level of confidence*
If you're informed enough to know the difference you don't need the answer
If you aren't you can't trust what you get
If you're informed enough to know the difference you don't need the answer
If you aren't you can't trust what you get
February 8, 2026 at 10:58 PM
The thing about LLMs is that answers that are correct and answers that are wildly wrong are presented with *exactly the same level of confidence*
If you're informed enough to know the difference you don't need the answer
If you aren't you can't trust what you get
If you're informed enough to know the difference you don't need the answer
If you aren't you can't trust what you get
Reposted by Carrie Muir
Happy Superb Owl Day!
February 8, 2026 at 8:42 PM
Happy Superb Owl Day!
Reposted by Carrie Muir
good to see labor historian Jacob Remes quoted here.
"Fifteen months after they began talks for their first union contract, more than 900 professors at New York University will begin voting on whether to authorize a strike on Monday, Feb. 9."
@uawregion9a.bsky.social
www.work-bites.com/view-all/nyu...
@uawregion9a.bsky.social
www.work-bites.com/view-all/nyu...
NYU ‘Falls Flat’ Without Us: More than 900 NYU Professors to Vote on Strike Authorization — Work-Bites
By Steve Wishnia Fifteen months after they began talks for their first union contract, more than 900 professors at New York University will begin voting on whether to authorize a strike on Monday, F...
www.work-bites.com
February 8, 2026 at 2:46 AM
good to see labor historian Jacob Remes quoted here.
Reposted by Carrie Muir
Sharing my favorite Owl image to commemorate today’s thing. 🪶
February 8, 2026 at 9:28 PM
Sharing my favorite Owl image to commemorate today’s thing. 🪶
Reposted by Carrie Muir
February 8, 2026 at 9:42 PM