Ben Brown-Steiner
@drbs.bsky.social
atmospheric chemist / climate scientist / birdwatcher
Reposted by Ben Brown-Steiner
NEW: Common Crawl, the massive archiver of the web, has gotten cozy with AI companies and is providing paywalled articles for training data. They’re also lying to publishers who have asked for material to be removed. “The robots are people too,” CC’s exec director told us when we asked about this.
The Nonprofit Feeding the Entire Internet to AI Companies
Common Crawl claims to provide a public benefit, but it lies to publishers about its activities.
www.theatlantic.com
November 4, 2025 at 12:15 PM
NEW: Common Crawl, the massive archiver of the web, has gotten cozy with AI companies and is providing paywalled articles for training data. They’re also lying to publishers who have asked for material to be removed. “The robots are people too,” CC’s exec director told us when we asked about this.
Reposted by Ben Brown-Steiner
#NIH is hanging by a thread. The #CDC has been decimated. #RFK Jr. and Russell #Vought are psychopaths--I don't say this frivolously--they are cold, calculating, inflicting violence on millions through public policy. It is where we are right now. These men are not normal. 1/
August 28, 2025 at 9:55 AM
Cannot possibly interpret this other than a malicious signal of intent -- disturbing, upsetting, unfortunately unsurprising:
Sections suddenly missing from Congressional Constitution website (Wayback Machine comparison):
web.archive.org/web/diff/202...
Sections suddenly missing from Congressional Constitution website (Wayback Machine comparison):
web.archive.org/web/diff/202...
Wayback Machine
web.archive.org
August 6, 2025 at 3:07 PM
Cannot possibly interpret this other than a malicious signal of intent -- disturbing, upsetting, unfortunately unsurprising:
Sections suddenly missing from Congressional Constitution website (Wayback Machine comparison):
web.archive.org/web/diff/202...
Sections suddenly missing from Congressional Constitution website (Wayback Machine comparison):
web.archive.org/web/diff/202...
Reposted by Ben Brown-Steiner
Right then...
A quick review of the DOE's new 'critical review' of climate science. Whether it's worth a formal community response - I'm still not sure, but here's my first thoughts
/thread/
A quick review of the DOE's new 'critical review' of climate science. Whether it's worth a formal community response - I'm still not sure, but here's my first thoughts
/thread/
I can't imagine there will be any problems with this summary of climate science
July 30, 2025 at 2:33 PM
Right then...
A quick review of the DOE's new 'critical review' of climate science. Whether it's worth a formal community response - I'm still not sure, but here's my first thoughts
/thread/
A quick review of the DOE's new 'critical review' of climate science. Whether it's worth a formal community response - I'm still not sure, but here's my first thoughts
/thread/
Pair that with this Octavia E. Butler quote:
“Choose your leaders
with wisdom and forethought.
To be led by a coward
is to be controlled
by all that the coward fears.
To be led by a fool
is to be led
by the opportunists
who control the fool.
(1/2)
“Choose your leaders
with wisdom and forethought.
To be led by a coward
is to be controlled
by all that the coward fears.
To be led by a fool
is to be led
by the opportunists
who control the fool.
(1/2)
I think a lot about what Carl Sagan said in one of his final interviews.
July 28, 2025 at 7:40 PM
Pair that with this Octavia E. Butler quote:
“Choose your leaders
with wisdom and forethought.
To be led by a coward
is to be controlled
by all that the coward fears.
To be led by a fool
is to be led
by the opportunists
who control the fool.
(1/2)
“Choose your leaders
with wisdom and forethought.
To be led by a coward
is to be controlled
by all that the coward fears.
To be led by a fool
is to be led
by the opportunists
who control the fool.
(1/2)
Reposted by Ben Brown-Steiner
I think a lot about what Carl Sagan said in one of his final interviews.
May 4, 2025 at 6:21 AM
I think a lot about what Carl Sagan said in one of his final interviews.
Reposted by Ben Brown-Steiner
The details here are particularly harrowing, especially the stories of other people who were not so lucky. I don't understand why anyone would take the risk of visiting the U.S. under these circumstances.
No one is safe from their violence. Her story is absolutely horrific. No one should be traveling to the US.
Swiss woman is denied entry at the US border and detained
«You have no right to be here.» A teacher wanted to celebrate her birthday in New York. Instead, she was jailed in New Jersey before being deported. A lawyer warns that something similar could happen ...
www.nzz.ch
July 24, 2025 at 9:41 AM
The details here are particularly harrowing, especially the stories of other people who were not so lucky. I don't understand why anyone would take the risk of visiting the U.S. under these circumstances.
Always good to review how the federal government does (or does not) get budgets passed (Note: It is messy/dysfunctional and has been getting messier and more dysfunctional over time):
www.aaas.org/news/federal...
www.aaas.org/news/federal...
The Federal Budget Process 101 | American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
The complicated annual budget cycle can be difficult for outsiders to follow. The below summary helps to explain the process.
www.aaas.org
July 22, 2025 at 1:41 PM
Always good to review how the federal government does (or does not) get budgets passed (Note: It is messy/dysfunctional and has been getting messier and more dysfunctional over time):
www.aaas.org/news/federal...
www.aaas.org/news/federal...
Just in case the reason for the current federal defunding of science in the USA isn't obvious:
(From blog.ucs.org/melissa-finu... ):
"Healthy democracies rely on scientific evidence to inform environmental policies, support public health, and promote technological advancement." (1/4)
(From blog.ucs.org/melissa-finu... ):
"Healthy democracies rely on scientific evidence to inform environmental policies, support public health, and promote technological advancement." (1/4)
Science Caught in a Rip Tide: How Authoritarianism Sweeps Away Evidence-Based Policy
Independence is why authoritarian regimes invariably target science and scientists. Authoritarianism acts as a relentless rip tide, pulling science beneath the surface of political control.
blog.ucs.org
July 21, 2025 at 2:30 PM
Just in case the reason for the current federal defunding of science in the USA isn't obvious:
(From blog.ucs.org/melissa-finu... ):
"Healthy democracies rely on scientific evidence to inform environmental policies, support public health, and promote technological advancement." (1/4)
(From blog.ucs.org/melissa-finu... ):
"Healthy democracies rely on scientific evidence to inform environmental policies, support public health, and promote technological advancement." (1/4)
Reposted by Ben Brown-Steiner
🧪 BREAKING (good news): Senate subcommittee says NO! to Trump's proposed slashes to NASA & NSF funding.
Today, the subcommittee said to keep NASA + NSF funding at $33.9 billion, the same as in FY24.
See 7:15 below. Full Senate appropriations committee meets tomorrow about it.
🧵 1/3
Today, the subcommittee said to keep NASA + NSF funding at $33.9 billion, the same as in FY24.
See 7:15 below. Full Senate appropriations committee meets tomorrow about it.
🧵 1/3
Subcommittee Markup of the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act | United States Senate Committee on Appropriations
United States Senate Committee on Appropriations
www.appropriations.senate.gov
July 10, 2025 at 12:23 AM
🧪 BREAKING (good news): Senate subcommittee says NO! to Trump's proposed slashes to NASA & NSF funding.
Today, the subcommittee said to keep NASA + NSF funding at $33.9 billion, the same as in FY24.
See 7:15 below. Full Senate appropriations committee meets tomorrow about it.
🧵 1/3
Today, the subcommittee said to keep NASA + NSF funding at $33.9 billion, the same as in FY24.
See 7:15 below. Full Senate appropriations committee meets tomorrow about it.
🧵 1/3
Reposted by Ben Brown-Steiner
As someone who has greatly benefited from the NSF MRI program, I'm sad to see that the 2025 submission window was canceled. www.nsf.gov/funding/oppo...
Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) Program:
www.nsf.gov
July 2, 2025 at 2:00 AM
As someone who has greatly benefited from the NSF MRI program, I'm sad to see that the 2025 submission window was canceled. www.nsf.gov/funding/oppo...