Ethan White
@ethanwhite.weecology.org
Environmental data scientist/professor using technology to understand nature. #rstats, Python, open data, open source. he/him
Pinned
Ethan White
@ethanwhite.weecology.org
· Nov 13
I am sorry to inform you that "That's not how we've done it in the past" is not a good reason not to try something new.
Reposted by Ethan White
2/ Our readers deserve clear labeling on AI content, and we deserve job security. Sign our petition for a fair contract and we’ll keep you updated on our campaign: actionnetwork.org/petitions/te...
Fair Contract Now for ProPublica Guild
We, the workers of ProPublica, provide our readers with deeply researched, unbiased news that holds power to account. This work is more important now than ever, but our staff can’t properly contribute...
actionnetwork.org
December 17, 2025 at 5:30 PM
2/ Our readers deserve clear labeling on AI content, and we deserve job security. Sign our petition for a fair contract and we’ll keep you updated on our campaign: actionnetwork.org/petitions/te...
Reposted by Ethan White
1/ At bargaining yesterday, @propublica.org management said that they should have 100% discretion to replace workers with AI and would not commit to labeling future AI-generated content.
December 17, 2025 at 5:30 PM
1/ At bargaining yesterday, @propublica.org management said that they should have 100% discretion to replace workers with AI and would not commit to labeling future AI-generated content.
'"This is like a stick in the spokes of merit review,” says one staffer who requested anonymity because of fear of retaliation. “It devalues discussion of the merits of each proposal.”'
h/t @jacquelyngill.bsky.social
h/t @jacquelyngill.bsky.social
NSF pares down grant-review process, reducing influence of outside scientists
Memo cites overburdened staff, but some say move also aims to elevate White House priorities
www.science.org
December 17, 2025 at 6:43 PM
'"This is like a stick in the spokes of merit review,” says one staffer who requested anonymity because of fear of retaliation. “It devalues discussion of the merits of each proposal.”'
h/t @jacquelyngill.bsky.social
h/t @jacquelyngill.bsky.social
Reposted by Ethan White
“The changes permit as few as one outside review rather than the current minimum of three, end the routine use of expert panels to discuss those individual reviews, and give program managers greater authority to recommend which proposals should or should not be funded.”
NSF pares down grant-review process, reducing influence of outside scientists
Memo cites overburdened staff, but some say move also aims to elevate White House priorities
www.science.org
December 17, 2025 at 6:36 PM
“The changes permit as few as one outside review rather than the current minimum of three, end the routine use of expert panels to discuss those individual reviews, and give program managers greater authority to recommend which proposals should or should not be funded.”
Reposted by Ethan White
News to me:
“The National Science Foundation will be breaking up the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, Colorado," Russ Vought, … said in a statement to USA TODAY. "This facility is one of the largest sources of climate alarmism in the country.”
“The National Science Foundation will be breaking up the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, Colorado," Russ Vought, … said in a statement to USA TODAY. "This facility is one of the largest sources of climate alarmism in the country.”
Trump moves to dismantle major US climate research center in Colorado
The Trump administration is breaking up the National Center for Atmospheric Research, taking aim at one of the world's leading climate research labs.
www.usatoday.com
December 17, 2025 at 11:07 AM
News to me:
“The National Science Foundation will be breaking up the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, Colorado," Russ Vought, … said in a statement to USA TODAY. "This facility is one of the largest sources of climate alarmism in the country.”
“The National Science Foundation will be breaking up the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, Colorado," Russ Vought, … said in a statement to USA TODAY. "This facility is one of the largest sources of climate alarmism in the country.”
Reposted by Ethan White
NCAR is foundational scientific infrastructure. This is escalating the assault on climate science, and there is a direct line between this step and the loss of many human lives.
Exclusive: The Trump administration is moving to dismantle the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Colorado, according to a senior White House official, taking aim at one of the world's leading climate research labs.
Trump moves to dismantle major US climate research center in Colorado
The Trump administration is breaking up the National Center for Atmospheric Research, taking aim at one of the world's leading climate research labs.
bit.ly
December 17, 2025 at 2:33 AM
NCAR is foundational scientific infrastructure. This is escalating the assault on climate science, and there is a direct line between this step and the loss of many human lives.
Align. Your. Assessments. With. Your. Learning objectives.
December 17, 2025 at 1:44 AM
Align. Your. Assessments. With. Your. Learning objectives.
Reposted by Ethan White
GitHub pullin' a fast one on us, discounting their own Actions runners but slapping a fee on external ("self-hosted") runners. For a lot of folks, the net difference will be minimal, but the intent is clear: to use their own fee structure to incentivize staying within their ecosystem completely.
Coming soon: Simpler pricing and a better experience for GitHub Actions - GitHub Changelog
On January 1, 2026, GitHub will reduce the price of GitHub-hosted runners by up to 39% depending on the machine type used. The free usage minute quotas will remain the…
github.blog
December 16, 2025 at 6:44 PM
GitHub pullin' a fast one on us, discounting their own Actions runners but slapping a fee on external ("self-hosted") runners. For a lot of folks, the net difference will be minimal, but the intent is clear: to use their own fee structure to incentivize staying within their ecosystem completely.
Reposted by Ethan White
Just decline the peer review invitation.
What are you people even doing?
What are you people even doing?
More than half of researchers now use AI for peer review — often against guidance
A survey of 1,600 academics found that more than 50% have used artificial-intelligence tools while peer reviewing manuscripts.
www.nature.com
December 16, 2025 at 10:39 PM
Just decline the peer review invitation.
What are you people even doing?
What are you people even doing?
'Tis the season of university administrators, who have failed to sufficiently support faculty over the past year, sending out holiday e-cards as if that's what's important for institutional community building and faculty morale.
December 15, 2025 at 2:08 PM
'Tis the season of university administrators, who have failed to sufficiently support faculty over the past year, sending out holiday e-cards as if that's what's important for institutional community building and faculty morale.
Reposted by Ethan White
The kind .. you find … in a second hand store
December 14, 2025 at 10:54 AM
The kind .. you find … in a second hand store
Reposted by Ethan White
This was *entirely* preventable.
December 14, 2025 at 11:36 AM
This was *entirely* preventable.
Reposted by Ethan White
"AI" suffusing academia w/ a pervasive miasmatic atmosphere of mistrust by supplying an arms race btwn students (via systems which, yes, increasingly, I've been doing this for 20 fucking years, encourage them to not give a shit & just get a degree) & teachers (via surveillant copshit) sure does suck
December 13, 2025 at 6:18 AM
"AI" suffusing academia w/ a pervasive miasmatic atmosphere of mistrust by supplying an arms race btwn students (via systems which, yes, increasingly, I've been doing this for 20 fucking years, encourage them to not give a shit & just get a degree) & teachers (via surveillant copshit) sure does suck
Reposted by Ethan White
1b. You cannot control other people.
December 12, 2025 at 9:07 PM
1b. You cannot control other people.
Reposted by Ethan White
The process of shrinking the gap between your values and actions is a lifetime journey.
Maturing is realizing that…
December 12, 2025 at 9:05 PM
The process of shrinking the gap between your values and actions is a lifetime journey.
Reposted by Ethan White
So after months of this every time I list a new one, I wrote to Etsy support to explain and ask them to stop. And they actually responded and said, yes, we get it, that's a painting. But we can't do anything about it because the AI is in charge, not the people 😠
December 11, 2025 at 2:56 PM
So after months of this every time I list a new one, I wrote to Etsy support to explain and ask them to stop. And they actually responded and said, yes, we get it, that's a painting. But we can't do anything about it because the AI is in charge, not the people 😠
Reposted by Ethan White
Stupid AI story OTD. For a year now, Etsy has been sending me messages that I shouldn't use a digital collage as my main listing image, because a collage image does worse in search. But it's not a f***ing collage, it's a grid painting
December 11, 2025 at 2:54 PM
Stupid AI story OTD. For a year now, Etsy has been sending me messages that I shouldn't use a digital collage as my main listing image, because a collage image does worse in search. But it's not a f***ing collage, it's a grid painting
Reposted by Ethan White
ICE detain U.S. citizen for looking Somali—use illegal chokehold to tackle him to ground.
Man repeatedly begs agents to look at his digital passport ID—they refuse.
Drove him 7 miles away before releasing him alone into Minnesota snow storm—told him to "walk home" in freezing weather advisory.
Man repeatedly begs agents to look at his digital passport ID—they refuse.
Drove him 7 miles away before releasing him alone into Minnesota snow storm—told him to "walk home" in freezing weather advisory.
December 10, 2025 at 7:36 PM
ICE detain U.S. citizen for looking Somali—use illegal chokehold to tackle him to ground.
Man repeatedly begs agents to look at his digital passport ID—they refuse.
Drove him 7 miles away before releasing him alone into Minnesota snow storm—told him to "walk home" in freezing weather advisory.
Man repeatedly begs agents to look at his digital passport ID—they refuse.
Drove him 7 miles away before releasing him alone into Minnesota snow storm—told him to "walk home" in freezing weather advisory.
Reposted by Ethan White
Eileen Higgins will be the next mayor of the city of Miami, breaking a nearly 30-year Republican streak, CNN projects
Eileen Higgins will win Miami mayor’s race, CNN projects, breaking a nearly 30-year GOP hold | CNN Politics
Eileen Higgins will be the next mayor of the city of Miami, according to a projection from CNN’s Decision Desk, breaking a nearly 30-year Republican streak in holding the nonpartisan seat and giving D...
www.cnn.com
December 10, 2025 at 12:31 AM
Eileen Higgins will be the next mayor of the city of Miami, breaking a nearly 30-year Republican streak, CNN projects
Reposted by Ethan White
I'm all done with IRL #sciart events for the year, so I listed a few more itty-bitty paintings in my ko-fi shop ko-fi.com/1626SLXL3044...
December 8, 2025 at 9:59 PM
I'm all done with IRL #sciart events for the year, so I listed a few more itty-bitty paintings in my ko-fi shop ko-fi.com/1626SLXL3044...
Reposted by Ethan White
"Decker said they’re now seeing cases where ICE agents violate constitutional protections on a daily basis. She and other immigration attorneys advise clients about the rights they should have but warn about the areas where ICE agents have been violating them."
“She has marks on her neck and wrist from where agents restrained her. Agents cut off her wedding ring and held her in leg shackles at Whipple Federal Building for about five hours.”
Her crime: witnessing ICE, from a distance.
Her crime: witnessing ICE, from a distance.
Federal agents arrest citizen observer watching ICE detain neighbors on her north Minneapolis block
Susan Tincher, a 55-year-old American citizen, appears to be the first observer arrested by federal immigration enforcement officers since the agency launched an immigration surge in the Twin Cities l...
www.mprnews.org
December 10, 2025 at 12:02 AM
"Decker said they’re now seeing cases where ICE agents violate constitutional protections on a daily basis. She and other immigration attorneys advise clients about the rights they should have but warn about the areas where ICE agents have been violating them."
"Sure Googlers [also faculty] had been willing to pull long hours, putting work before personal life and health, in order to realize the company's [university's] mission, but the quid pro quo those workers expected was for the company [university] to take that mission as seriously as they did."
Enshittification
Enshittification: it’s not just you—the internet sucks now. Here’s why, and here’s how we can disenshittify it.We’re living through the Enshittocen...
us.macmillan.com
December 9, 2025 at 10:38 PM
"Sure Googlers [also faculty] had been willing to pull long hours, putting work before personal life and health, in order to realize the company's [university's] mission, but the quid pro quo those workers expected was for the company [university] to take that mission as seriously as they did."
Excellent piece by on the ebb and flow of creative work and the inevitability and importance of fallow periods.
“What I failed to notice: that the fallow periods were doing something too. They were composting… The harvest seasons, when they returned, drew on seeds I hadn't remembered planting.”
“What I failed to notice: that the fallow periods were doing something too. They were composting… The harvest seasons, when they returned, drew on seeds I hadn't remembered planting.”
The Harvest Will Come
I spent most of my twenties believing that purpose was something you found once and then held onto.
A winning lottery ticket you kept in your wallet forever.
The self-help industry reinforced this: ...
www.joanwestenberg.com
December 7, 2025 at 5:18 PM
Excellent piece by on the ebb and flow of creative work and the inevitability and importance of fallow periods.
“What I failed to notice: that the fallow periods were doing something too. They were composting… The harvest seasons, when they returned, drew on seeds I hadn't remembered planting.”
“What I failed to notice: that the fallow periods were doing something too. They were composting… The harvest seasons, when they returned, drew on seeds I hadn't remembered planting.”
Reposted by Ethan White
My teen, who had dreamt of being an astrophysicist, just told me he wants to go to law school because, “Science isn’t going to be a priority in the US in the future…I don’t want a job where I’ll be constantly worried my funding will be taken away.”
Gutting. How many future scientists have we lost?
Gutting. How many future scientists have we lost?
December 7, 2025 at 1:23 AM
My teen, who had dreamt of being an astrophysicist, just told me he wants to go to law school because, “Science isn’t going to be a priority in the US in the future…I don’t want a job where I’ll be constantly worried my funding will be taken away.”
Gutting. How many future scientists have we lost?
Gutting. How many future scientists have we lost?
Reposted by Ethan White
Illinois becomes one of the few states to regulate employer use of AI. House Bill 3773 amends the Illinois Human Rights Act to make it a civil rights violation for employers to use AI tools that result in discrimination based on race, gender, age, or disability.
www.mystateline.com/news/local-n...
www.mystateline.com/news/local-n...
www.mystateline.com
December 2, 2025 at 12:42 AM
Illinois becomes one of the few states to regulate employer use of AI. House Bill 3773 amends the Illinois Human Rights Act to make it a civil rights violation for employers to use AI tools that result in discrimination based on race, gender, age, or disability.
www.mystateline.com/news/local-n...
www.mystateline.com/news/local-n...