Derek Willis
@dwillis.bsky.social
I teach data journalism at the University of Maryland, run OpenElections. Fan of WBB & test cricket. Posting obscure things about campaign finance, Congress & elections.
https://github.com/dwillis
https://thescoop.org
https://github.com/dwillis
https://thescoop.org
Reposted by Derek Willis
Really powerful response to the Bondi Beach shootings from @alicefraser.bsky.social
youtu.be/YAqq1NDZ0Ok?...
youtu.be/YAqq1NDZ0Ok?...
Rage Bait Bugle - Bugle 4363
YouTube video by The Bugle
youtu.be
December 26, 2025 at 4:02 PM
Really powerful response to the Bondi Beach shootings from @alicefraser.bsky.social
youtu.be/YAqq1NDZ0Ok?...
youtu.be/YAqq1NDZ0Ok?...
@guerillacricket.bsky.social I’m beginning to question Bryson Carse as an opening bowler.
December 25, 2025 at 11:58 PM
@guerillacricket.bsky.social I’m beginning to question Bryson Carse as an opening bowler.
Amazon sent me an email at 6:30 on Christmas morning cancelling my subscription purchases of Ovaltine.
I can only assume their predictive modeling thinks that because I’ve been getting Ovaltine from them for a number of years now that I must be nearing death.
Enjoy Christmas, everyone.
I can only assume their predictive modeling thinks that because I’ve been getting Ovaltine from them for a number of years now that I must be nearing death.
Enjoy Christmas, everyone.
December 25, 2025 at 1:24 PM
Amazon sent me an email at 6:30 on Christmas morning cancelling my subscription purchases of Ovaltine.
I can only assume their predictive modeling thinks that because I’ve been getting Ovaltine from them for a number of years now that I must be nearing death.
Enjoy Christmas, everyone.
I can only assume their predictive modeling thinks that because I’ve been getting Ovaltine from them for a number of years now that I must be nearing death.
Enjoy Christmas, everyone.
Merry Christmas - just 10.5 hours til the resumption of test cricket!
December 25, 2025 at 1:10 PM
Merry Christmas - just 10.5 hours til the resumption of test cricket!
One of the people I miss the most from my data journalism circles is Tom Torok, who turned on so many lights for me and others. He also gave amazing conference presentations.
December 24, 2025 at 1:59 AM
One of the people I miss the most from my data journalism circles is Tom Torok, who turned on so many lights for me and others. He also gave amazing conference presentations.
Reposted by Derek Willis
The "magic" of these coding assistants is that they seem like they can drive the bus. But you’re the one who should be behind the wheel.
Here's how I spent almost all of the $250 in Claude Code credits I got last month, and what I made and learned.
Here's how I spent almost all of the $250 in Claude Code credits I got last month, and what I made and learned.
All the Claude (Code) Things – Derek Willis
Academic and journalist
thescoop.org
December 23, 2025 at 12:45 PM
The "magic" of these coding assistants is that they seem like they can drive the bus. But you’re the one who should be behind the wheel.
Here's how I spent almost all of the $250 in Claude Code credits I got last month, and what I made and learned.
Here's how I spent almost all of the $250 in Claude Code credits I got last month, and what I made and learned.
The "magic" of these coding assistants is that they seem like they can drive the bus. But you’re the one who should be behind the wheel.
Here's how I spent almost all of the $250 in Claude Code credits I got last month, and what I made and learned.
Here's how I spent almost all of the $250 in Claude Code credits I got last month, and what I made and learned.
All the Claude (Code) Things – Derek Willis
Academic and journalist
thescoop.org
December 23, 2025 at 12:45 PM
The "magic" of these coding assistants is that they seem like they can drive the bus. But you’re the one who should be behind the wheel.
Here's how I spent almost all of the $250 in Claude Code credits I got last month, and what I made and learned.
Here's how I spent almost all of the $250 in Claude Code credits I got last month, and what I made and learned.
"The public knows that Venezuelans have been subjected to horrific treatment in this prison."
I don't think that they do, if the only evidence is it was reported in the NYT two months earlier.
I don't think that they do, if the only evidence is it was reported in the NYT two months earlier.
December 22, 2025 at 3:18 PM
"The public knows that Venezuelans have been subjected to horrific treatment in this prison."
I don't think that they do, if the only evidence is it was reported in the NYT two months earlier.
I don't think that they do, if the only evidence is it was reported in the NYT two months earlier.
New post up @herhoopstats.com: there are ~1,500 international players on NCAA rosters this year, with Spain, Canada and Australia leading the way again. My most comprehensive collection of roster data yet.
herhoopstats.substack.com/p/a-new-high...
herhoopstats.substack.com/p/a-new-high...
A New High for International Players
Nearly 1,500 international players are on NCAA women's basketball rosters. One in five Division I players are from outside the U.S.
herhoopstats.substack.com
December 22, 2025 at 1:05 PM
New post up @herhoopstats.com: there are ~1,500 international players on NCAA rosters this year, with Spain, Canada and Australia leading the way again. My most comprehensive collection of roster data yet.
herhoopstats.substack.com/p/a-new-high...
herhoopstats.substack.com/p/a-new-high...
Surprised there's no "Let Them Eat Cake" mural on the wall.
I've never lived so close to a What Are We Even Doing Here real estate listing, and I am here, gifting you this experience, make sure to open the pictures
www.redfin.com/MI/Ann-Arbor...
www.redfin.com/MI/Ann-Arbor...
414 S Main St #10, Ann Arbor, MI 48104 - 3 beds/3.5 baths
(SW Michigan MLS) For Sale: 3 beds, 3.5 baths ∙ 5000 sq. ft. ∙ 414 S Main St #10, Ann Arbor, MI 48104 ∙ $7,000,000 ∙ MLS# 25062388 ∙ This Downtown Ann Arbor penthouse stands among the finest residence...
www.redfin.com
December 21, 2025 at 1:36 AM
Surprised there's no "Let Them Eat Cake" mural on the wall.
How important is Yarden Garzon to @terpswbb.bsky.social offense? She leads the tea in assists (41) *and* is the team's leading recipient of assists (131 points on 49 assisted makes). She also appears in the top 4 assist pairs. Details:
thescoop.org/umdwbb-data/
thescoop.org/umdwbb-data/
December 20, 2025 at 2:00 PM
How important is Yarden Garzon to @terpswbb.bsky.social offense? She leads the tea in assists (41) *and* is the team's leading recipient of assists (131 points on 49 assisted makes). She also appears in the top 4 assist pairs. Details:
thescoop.org/umdwbb-data/
thescoop.org/umdwbb-data/
Reposted by Derek Willis
20,000 words, 150 footnotes, 100+ timeline events = our attempt at documenting and synthesizing all the ways that the federal government has attempted to destroy access to gender-affirming care since January unbreaking.org/issues/trans...
Transgender Healthcare: Explainer — Unbreaking
How the administration is breaking the government, and what that means for all of us.
unbreaking.org
December 19, 2025 at 7:17 PM
20,000 words, 150 footnotes, 100+ timeline events = our attempt at documenting and synthesizing all the ways that the federal government has attempted to destroy access to gender-affirming care since January unbreaking.org/issues/trans...
From Chase Davis' lips to God's ears (and not just because he cites a 20-year-old(!) blog post of mine:
www.niemanlab.org/2025/12/a-re...
www.niemanlab.org/2025/12/a-re...
A renaissance for structured journalism
"Reliable structured data is the rare-earth raw material required to make your vision real."
www.niemanlab.org
December 19, 2025 at 10:36 PM
From Chase Davis' lips to God's ears (and not just because he cites a 20-year-old(!) blog post of mine:
www.niemanlab.org/2025/12/a-re...
www.niemanlab.org/2025/12/a-re...
Reposted by Derek Willis
Here's a quilt of Volume 4 of the Epstein document dump. Gives you a 10,000 foot view of the redactions. that's 2,704 docs.
December 19, 2025 at 10:28 PM
Here's a quilt of Volume 4 of the Epstein document dump. Gives you a 10,000 foot view of the redactions. that's 2,704 docs.
the #1 movie when you were 10 years old is how your 2026 is going to go
You know what, I'll take it. The fascists lose.
You know what, I'll take it. The fascists lose.
December 19, 2025 at 6:55 PM
the #1 movie when you were 10 years old is how your 2026 is going to go
You know what, I'll take it. The fascists lose.
You know what, I'll take it. The fascists lose.
Reposted by Derek Willis
@nymag.com @alexshultz.bsky.social reporting that while Eleanor Holmes Norton has been showing steep signs of mental decline, she is suddenly loaning a large amount of money to her campaign — which only pays her campaign manager / treasurer / confidant and one adviser. nymag.com/intelligence...
December 19, 2025 at 3:08 PM
@nymag.com @alexshultz.bsky.social reporting that while Eleanor Holmes Norton has been showing steep signs of mental decline, she is suddenly loaning a large amount of money to her campaign — which only pays her campaign manager / treasurer / confidant and one adviser. nymag.com/intelligence...
Reposted by Derek Willis
Top Maryland officials, including Cabinet secretaries, in Gov. Wes Moore’s administration are setting some chat messages to auto-delete in 24 hours, leaving no trace of discussions of government business.
W/ @pwoodreporter.bsky.social
www.thebanner.com/politics-pow...
W/ @pwoodreporter.bsky.social
www.thebanner.com/politics-pow...
Moore administration deleting internal messages after 24 hours
Open government experts and archivists say setting messages to vanish could hinder accountability, dash the public’s right to inspection and keep archivists from reviewing documents for historical val...
www.thebanner.com
December 19, 2025 at 11:51 AM
Top Maryland officials, including Cabinet secretaries, in Gov. Wes Moore’s administration are setting some chat messages to auto-delete in 24 hours, leaving no trace of discussions of government business.
W/ @pwoodreporter.bsky.social
www.thebanner.com/politics-pow...
W/ @pwoodreporter.bsky.social
www.thebanner.com/politics-pow...
Reposted by Derek Willis
Late night baby shift also means late night weirdware. Tonight's edition: porting @dwillis.bsky.social's llm-fecfile plugin¹ (to @simonwillison.net's LLM CLI²) to Claude as an Agent Skill.³
¹ github.com/dwillis/llm-...
² llm.datasette.io/en/stable/
³ matthodges.com/posts/2025-1...
¹ github.com/dwillis/llm-...
² llm.datasette.io/en/stable/
³ matthodges.com/posts/2025-1...
My New Agentic Campaign Finance Sidekick
Building a campaign finance analyzer using Claude’s Agent Skills
matthodges.com
December 19, 2025 at 9:55 AM
Late night baby shift also means late night weirdware. Tonight's edition: porting @dwillis.bsky.social's llm-fecfile plugin¹ (to @simonwillison.net's LLM CLI²) to Claude as an Agent Skill.³
¹ github.com/dwillis/llm-...
² llm.datasette.io/en/stable/
³ matthodges.com/posts/2025-1...
¹ github.com/dwillis/llm-...
² llm.datasette.io/en/stable/
³ matthodges.com/posts/2025-1...
Well, that’s an interesting twist in test cricket:
December 19, 2025 at 1:27 AM
Well, that’s an interesting twist in test cricket:
It's just like the old adage says: you gotta spend money to raise money to spend money to raise money to spend money to raise money
Democratic House and Senate candidates have raised $418M from individual donors this cycle. They've spent $242M on fundraising and consulting.
Democratic candidates have already burned 57% of what they raised just to raise it.
Democratic candidates have already burned 57% of what they raised just to raise it.
December 18, 2025 at 10:34 PM
It's just like the old adage says: you gotta spend money to raise money to spend money to raise money to spend money to raise money
"Human errors & track defects caused more than 3,000 rail accidents over the last decade, killing 23 people & injuring nearly 1,200. Yet federal railroad regulators failed to implement most of the safety recommendations that emerged from the accident investigations."
cnsmaryland.org/2025/12/16/r...
cnsmaryland.org/2025/12/16/r...
Railroads and regulators thwart safety fixes for years, costing lives
Human errors and track defects caused more than 3,000 rail accidents over the last decade, killing 23 people and injuring nearly 1,200. Yet federal railroad regulators failed to implement most of the...
cnsmaryland.org
December 18, 2025 at 3:21 PM
"Human errors & track defects caused more than 3,000 rail accidents over the last decade, killing 23 people & injuring nearly 1,200. Yet federal railroad regulators failed to implement most of the safety recommendations that emerged from the accident investigations."
cnsmaryland.org/2025/12/16/r...
cnsmaryland.org/2025/12/16/r...
I asked my students to create guides to the work they did in my "Exploring News Archives with LLMs" class this semester. Feel like I'm gonna enjoy this one, which starts out:
"Most guides tell you what worked. This one tells you what broke, why it broke, and what I learned from breaking it."
"Most guides tell you what worked. This one tells you what broke, why it broke, and what I learned from breaking it."
December 17, 2025 at 3:23 AM
I asked my students to create guides to the work they did in my "Exploring News Archives with LLMs" class this semester. Feel like I'm gonna enjoy this one, which starts out:
"Most guides tell you what worked. This one tells you what broke, why it broke, and what I learned from breaking it."
"Most guides tell you what worked. This one tells you what broke, why it broke, and what I learned from breaking it."
This is all because someone told the president that Simon Bolivar recognized much of the Western Hemisphere as "America", isn't it?
December 17, 2025 at 1:10 AM
This is all because someone told the president that Simon Bolivar recognized much of the Western Hemisphere as "America", isn't it?