Chris Schaller
@hicommander.bsky.social
Software Developer, Planetary Image Research Lab, Lunar and Planetary Lab, University of Arizona - MRO/HiRISE • TGO/CaSSIS • Europa Clipper/EIS - he/him/his.
Reposted by Chris Schaller
I just… Letting fundamentally uncritical, uncareful, unserious, willfully ignorant people introduce "Gen AI" into the federal regulatory workflow for *Anything* is a terrible fucking idea with high potential for returning extremely negative chaos, but for Transportation in particular??? Holy shit.
The @usdot.bsky.social, which oversees the safety of airplanes, cars and pipelines, plans to use Google Gemini to draft new regulations. “We don’t need the perfect rule,” said DOT’s top lawyer. “We want good enough.”
Government by AI? Trump Administration Plans to Write Regulations Using Artificial Intelligence
The Transportation Department, which oversees the safety of airplanes, cars and pipelines, plans to use Google Gemini to draft new regulations. “We don’t need the perfect rule,” said DOT’s top lawyer....
www.propublica.org
January 26, 2026 at 6:02 PM
I just… Letting fundamentally uncritical, uncareful, unserious, willfully ignorant people introduce "Gen AI" into the federal regulatory workflow for *Anything* is a terrible fucking idea with high potential for returning extremely negative chaos, but for Transportation in particular??? Holy shit.
Reposted by Chris Schaller
I now 100% understand the banning of Thinking Machines in Dune.
this is completely insane and more people need to say that doing this is completely insane
The @usdot.bsky.social, which oversees the safety of airplanes, cars and pipelines, plans to use Google Gemini to draft new regulations. “We don’t need the perfect rule,” said DOT’s top lawyer. “We want good enough.”
January 26, 2026 at 5:58 PM
I now 100% understand the banning of Thinking Machines in Dune.
Reposted by Chris Schaller
this is completely insane and more people need to say that doing this is completely insane
The @usdot.bsky.social, which oversees the safety of airplanes, cars and pipelines, plans to use Google Gemini to draft new regulations. “We don’t need the perfect rule,” said DOT’s top lawyer. “We want good enough.”
Government by AI? Trump Administration Plans to Write Regulations Using Artificial Intelligence
The Transportation Department, which oversees the safety of airplanes, cars and pipelines, plans to use Google Gemini to draft new regulations. “We don’t need the perfect rule,” said DOT’s top lawyer....
www.propublica.org
January 26, 2026 at 5:27 PM
this is completely insane and more people need to say that doing this is completely insane
Reposted by Chris Schaller
Ahu Tiiko is coming to retail! If you review roleplaying games and would like a free advance copy, please use this form to request one. We are only shipping to the US and CA.
Please use this link: forms.gle/1KS1VHCpvBzF...
#ttrpg #rpg #tabletop #NativeSky #games
Please use this link: forms.gle/1KS1VHCpvBzF...
#ttrpg #rpg #tabletop #NativeSky #games
January 9, 2026 at 5:42 PM
Ahu Tiiko is coming to retail! If you review roleplaying games and would like a free advance copy, please use this form to request one. We are only shipping to the US and CA.
Please use this link: forms.gle/1KS1VHCpvBzF...
#ttrpg #rpg #tabletop #NativeSky #games
Please use this link: forms.gle/1KS1VHCpvBzF...
#ttrpg #rpg #tabletop #NativeSky #games
Reposted by Chris Schaller
January 19, 2026 at 4:51 PM
Reposted by Chris Schaller
COW TOOLS COW TOOLS COW TOOLS
Back-scratching bovine leads scientists to reassess intelligence of cows
Brown Swiss in Austria has been discovered using tools in multiple ways – something only ever seen in humans and chimpanzees
www.theguardian.com
January 19, 2026 at 4:06 PM
COW TOOLS COW TOOLS COW TOOLS
Reposted by Chris Schaller
Artemis II is at the pad! This is a huge, huge milestone for this mission, this team, and the Agency that I'm proud and privileged to be a part of. While you're enjoying looking at the rocket I’m here to make you a SCIENCE thread! 🧪🔭⚒️🛰️🌔🪐🪨🩸 #planetsci 🧵 www.youtube.com/watch?app=de...
NASA's Artemis II Live Views from Kennedy Space Center
YouTube video by NASA
www.youtube.com
January 18, 2026 at 2:33 AM
Artemis II is at the pad! This is a huge, huge milestone for this mission, this team, and the Agency that I'm proud and privileged to be a part of. While you're enjoying looking at the rocket I’m here to make you a SCIENCE thread! 🧪🔭⚒️🛰️🌔🪐🪨🩸 #planetsci 🧵 www.youtube.com/watch?app=de...
Reposted by Chris Schaller
It gets much, much better!
Airbus' Pleiades NEO 3 satellite captured 30cm resolution imagery of SLS rolling out to the pad today at 16:24:26 UTC.
Incredible imagery!
I've uploaded the full capture to @soaratlas.bsky.social: soaratlas.com/maps/140457
Airbus' Pleiades NEO 3 satellite captured 30cm resolution imagery of SLS rolling out to the pad today at 16:24:26 UTC.
Incredible imagery!
I've uploaded the full capture to @soaratlas.bsky.social: soaratlas.com/maps/140457
January 18, 2026 at 1:27 AM
It gets much, much better!
Airbus' Pleiades NEO 3 satellite captured 30cm resolution imagery of SLS rolling out to the pad today at 16:24:26 UTC.
Incredible imagery!
I've uploaded the full capture to @soaratlas.bsky.social: soaratlas.com/maps/140457
Airbus' Pleiades NEO 3 satellite captured 30cm resolution imagery of SLS rolling out to the pad today at 16:24:26 UTC.
Incredible imagery!
I've uploaded the full capture to @soaratlas.bsky.social: soaratlas.com/maps/140457
Reposted by Chris Schaller
If you wanna watch a really big rocket roll very slowly out to the launch pad in Florida, live, go here now m.youtube.com/watch?v=nrVn...
It’s the Artemis II mission, aiming to launch in the coming weeks to send humans to the Moon for the first time in over half a century
🧪
It’s the Artemis II mission, aiming to launch in the coming weeks to send humans to the Moon for the first time in over half a century
🧪
NASA's Artemis II Live Views from Kennedy Space Center
YouTube video by NASA
m.youtube.com
January 17, 2026 at 12:32 PM
If you wanna watch a really big rocket roll very slowly out to the launch pad in Florida, live, go here now m.youtube.com/watch?v=nrVn...
It’s the Artemis II mission, aiming to launch in the coming weeks to send humans to the Moon for the first time in over half a century
🧪
It’s the Artemis II mission, aiming to launch in the coming weeks to send humans to the Moon for the first time in over half a century
🧪
I would like a Starfleet Academy spinoff that's just Gina Yashere yelling at people, please.
January 16, 2026 at 10:10 PM
I would like a Starfleet Academy spinoff that's just Gina Yashere yelling at people, please.
Reposted by Chris Schaller
Lead by LPL Professor Daniel Apai and his team, the Pandora satellite will provide in-depth study of at least 20 known planets orbiting distant stars to determine the composition of their atmospheres – especially the presence of hazes, clouds and water. news.arizona.edu/news/pandora...
Pandora, a keen-eyed satellite built to study exoplanets, takes flight
After clearing its last hurdle on its way to space, the University of Arizona-led Pandora satellite mission launched into orbit, where it will study at least 20 exoplanets and their host stars over lo...
news.arizona.edu
January 16, 2026 at 5:34 PM
Lead by LPL Professor Daniel Apai and his team, the Pandora satellite will provide in-depth study of at least 20 known planets orbiting distant stars to determine the composition of their atmospheres – especially the presence of hazes, clouds and water. news.arizona.edu/news/pandora...
Reposted by Chris Schaller
Giant THANK YOUs to everyone who helped our science community through your advocacy to Congress and your networks. YOU changed the narrative. WE ALL win. 🧪🔭🛰️🌎🪐⚒️🔬
📢THE #Senate OVERWHELMINGLY PASSED THE #NASA/ #NSF/ #NOAA/ #NIST MINIBUS!! 🥳🤩🎉
@noaa.gov @altnoaa.bsky.social @roguenoaa.altgov.info @roguenasa.altgov.info @aaas.org @aas.org @agu.org @planetarysociety.bsky.social @ucs.org
www.engadget.com/science/spac...
@noaa.gov @altnoaa.bsky.social @roguenoaa.altgov.info @roguenasa.altgov.info @aaas.org @aas.org @agu.org @planetarysociety.bsky.social @ucs.org
www.engadget.com/science/spac...
Senate passes minibus bill funding NASA, rejecting Trump's proposed cuts
After a tumultuous 2025 that saw it lose around 4,000 employees, NASA finally has an operating budget for 2026, and one that largely preserves its scientific capabilities.
www.engadget.com
January 16, 2026 at 1:50 AM
Giant THANK YOUs to everyone who helped our science community through your advocacy to Congress and your networks. YOU changed the narrative. WE ALL win. 🧪🔭🛰️🌎🪐⚒️🔬
Reposted by Chris Schaller
Introducing Xenovenator espinosai, a new troodontid dinosaur with some fascinating cranial anatomy. I had the honour of being approached to create the illustration for this week’s official announcement. (1/3) #SciArt
January 14, 2026 at 5:17 PM
Introducing Xenovenator espinosai, a new troodontid dinosaur with some fascinating cranial anatomy. I had the honour of being approached to create the illustration for this week’s official announcement. (1/3) #SciArt
New dinosaur dropped! Look at this beauty! Check the thread, too; Andy has a sketch-to-final sequence in there!
Introducing Xenovenator espinosai, a new troodontid dinosaur with some fascinating cranial anatomy. I had the honour of being approached to create the illustration for this week’s official announcement. (1/3) #SciArt
January 14, 2026 at 10:03 PM
New dinosaur dropped! Look at this beauty! Check the thread, too; Andy has a sketch-to-final sequence in there!
Reposted by Chris Schaller
RT if you've never had a tab of ChatGPT open 'just to do quick research'
![You’ve got super fans pausing and zooming in on individuals frames of your documentary. One allegedly shows one of the Duffers with a ChatGPT tab open on their computer. In your presence, what did they use ChatGPT for?
I mean, are we even sure they had ChatGPT open?
I’m personally not, but the internet seems sure.
Well, there’s a lot of chatter where [social media users] are like, “We don’t really know, but we’re assuming.” But to me it’s like, doesn’t everybody have it open, to just do quick research?
I do.
How can you possibly write a storyline with 19 characters and use ChatGPT, I don’t even understand.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:7t2urmt3i33jl6tjgiolio6g/bafkreidw2tmcr2ayq74oqmjm5pn2tdox6hlxnpqevhuqqj6oa7nsslx3oi@jpeg)
January 13, 2026 at 8:45 PM
RT if you've never had a tab of ChatGPT open 'just to do quick research'
Reposted by Chris Schaller
Heads up for the #SciArt community. Yet ANOTHER parasitic Facebook account, with 125k followers, is stealing the work of real artists, myself included, feeding it into AI and posting without credit. Feel free to use this information in any way you choose.
January 13, 2026 at 8:23 AM
Heads up for the #SciArt community. Yet ANOTHER parasitic Facebook account, with 125k followers, is stealing the work of real artists, myself included, feeding it into AI and posting without credit. Feel free to use this information in any way you choose.
I freakin' KNEW it! God, that was bugging me.
I knew I couldn't be the only person who noticed that bsky.app/profile/joeh...
While watching the 5th season of Stranger Things I noticed this extremely nerdy anachronism: it refers to the Sorcerer class in DnD, but that class was added in 2000 and the show is set in 1987.
What other nerdy anachronisms are there? I'm thinking comic collections with issues that are too recent.
What other nerdy anachronisms are there? I'm thinking comic collections with issues that are too recent.
January 12, 2026 at 10:27 PM
I freakin' KNEW it! God, that was bugging me.
Reposted by Chris Schaller
NYSNA nurses go wild as Mayor Zohran Mamdani arrives at the picket line in Washington Heights @thecity.nyc
January 12, 2026 at 3:06 PM
NYSNA nurses go wild as Mayor Zohran Mamdani arrives at the picket line in Washington Heights @thecity.nyc
Reposted by Chris Schaller
CDC wastewater reports: Dec 28, 2025 - Jan 03, 2026
🔥 CT, IL, IN, KS, MA, MI, MO, OH, WV
🔴 AR, IA, ME, MD, MT, NE, NY, PA, RI, SD, VT, WY
🟠 AL, DE, KY, LA, MN, NH, NM, OK, VA, WI
🟡 CO, MS, NJ, NC, TX, UT
🟢 AK, AZ, CA, DC, FL, GA, GU, HI, ID, NV, SC, TN, WA
❔ ND, OR, VI
🔥 CT, IL, IN, KS, MA, MI, MO, OH, WV
🔴 AR, IA, ME, MD, MT, NE, NY, PA, RI, SD, VT, WY
🟠 AL, DE, KY, LA, MN, NH, NM, OK, VA, WI
🟡 CO, MS, NJ, NC, TX, UT
🟢 AK, AZ, CA, DC, FL, GA, GU, HI, ID, NV, SC, TN, WA
❔ ND, OR, VI
January 12, 2026 at 1:02 PM
CDC wastewater reports: Dec 28, 2025 - Jan 03, 2026
🔥 CT, IL, IN, KS, MA, MI, MO, OH, WV
🔴 AR, IA, ME, MD, MT, NE, NY, PA, RI, SD, VT, WY
🟠 AL, DE, KY, LA, MN, NH, NM, OK, VA, WI
🟡 CO, MS, NJ, NC, TX, UT
🟢 AK, AZ, CA, DC, FL, GA, GU, HI, ID, NV, SC, TN, WA
❔ ND, OR, VI
🔥 CT, IL, IN, KS, MA, MI, MO, OH, WV
🔴 AR, IA, ME, MD, MT, NE, NY, PA, RI, SD, VT, WY
🟠 AL, DE, KY, LA, MN, NH, NM, OK, VA, WI
🟡 CO, MS, NJ, NC, TX, UT
🟢 AK, AZ, CA, DC, FL, GA, GU, HI, ID, NV, SC, TN, WA
❔ ND, OR, VI
Reposted by Chris Schaller
Getting video of separation is pretty hit-and-miss because of how the cameras work and how the payloads are arranged, and we *lucked out*!
Pandora’s orbit is at 600 km altitude, so it was in the second batch of deployments over two hours after launch. We were actually one of the last ones, which means we got a *fantastic* view of separation.
January 11, 2026 at 11:36 PM
Getting video of separation is pretty hit-and-miss because of how the cameras work and how the payloads are arranged, and we *lucked out*!
Reposted by Chris Schaller
Pandora is launched, deployed, and responding to commands. Also I got maybe 6 hours of sleep and it was less than 70 degrees in Mission Ops, so defrosting and possibly nap will proceed sharing of cool pictures/videos.
January 11, 2026 at 8:24 PM
Pandora is launched, deployed, and responding to commands. Also I got maybe 6 hours of sleep and it was less than 70 degrees in Mission Ops, so defrosting and possibly nap will proceed sharing of cool pictures/videos.
Reposted by Chris Schaller
Our NASA’s Pandora space telescope is on orbit!! Congrats to the team and NASA, LSP, SpaceX, and everyone who helped to get to this exciting point! What will Pandora do and why is it important for exoplanet science? Read my short article on this: theconversation.com/nasas-pandor...
NASA’s Pandora telescope will study stars in detail to learn about the exoplanets orbiting them
The findings from Pandora will complement data from the James Webb Space Telescope to give astronomers more insight into stars and planets outside our solar system.
theconversation.com
January 11, 2026 at 8:01 PM
Our NASA’s Pandora space telescope is on orbit!! Congrats to the team and NASA, LSP, SpaceX, and everyone who helped to get to this exciting point! What will Pandora do and why is it important for exoplanet science? Read my short article on this: theconversation.com/nasas-pandor...
Reposted by Chris Schaller
Back in Fermi’s day the mystery was: why no aliens? Today the mystery is: which self-induced fuckery is going to destroy humanity first?
January 11, 2026 at 5:55 PM
Back in Fermi’s day the mystery was: why no aliens? Today the mystery is: which self-induced fuckery is going to destroy humanity first?