jonathan zong
@jonathanzong.com
information science prof at cu boulder
https://jonathanzong.com/
https://www.data-and-design.org
@data-and-design.org
https://jonathanzong.com/
https://www.data-and-design.org
@data-and-design.org
Pinned
jonathan zong
@jonathanzong.com
· Sep 4
Recruiting Ph.D. Students for Fall 2026
We are an interdisciplinary research group at the University of Colorado Boulder that uses design to understand and reimagine socio-technical systems.
data-and-design.org
Interested in accessibility, visualization, or data ethics? I'm looking for Ph.D. students to join @data-and-design.org at CU Boulder Info Sci in Fall 2026.
data-and-design.org/recruiting/phd
data-and-design.org/recruiting/phd
Reposted by jonathan zong
feels weird to go to chinese museums, see an ancient artifact, and go “oh i recognize that from genshin” or “that’s where the star rail codex entry is from” 😂
February 10, 2026 at 4:43 AM
feels weird to go to chinese museums, see an ancient artifact, and go “oh i recognize that from genshin” or “that’s where the star rail codex entry is from” 😂
Reposted by jonathan zong
"I don’t know what school was like before all of these tools, but I don’t necessarily feel like any of them really help me learn... [I like to do 🎨 assgnmts by hand, yet] these analog methods are completely ignored in favor of modern, technological approaches... It almost feels 'over-engineered.'"
Is Educational Technology All It's Cracked Up to Be?
A seventh-grader's perspective, part 2
micahblachman.beehiiv.com
February 2, 2026 at 5:23 PM
"I don’t know what school was like before all of these tools, but I don’t necessarily feel like any of them really help me learn... [I like to do 🎨 assgnmts by hand, yet] these analog methods are completely ignored in favor of modern, technological approaches... It almost feels 'over-engineered.'"
Reposted by jonathan zong
A Minnesota woman observing ICE agents in her car was cornered on one-way streets. An agent approached, called her by name—citing facial recognition. Days later, her Global Entry and TSA privileges were revoked, with no explanation.
How ICE Already Knows Who Minneapolis Protesters Are
www.nytimes.com
January 30, 2026 at 11:55 AM
A Minnesota woman observing ICE agents in her car was cornered on one-way streets. An agent approached, called her by name—citing facial recognition. Days later, her Global Entry and TSA privileges were revoked, with no explanation.
Reposted by jonathan zong
CS ArXiv recently banned “review and position” papers, but what are those? Do they include more generated content? Who is most affected by this change? @yanai.bsky.social and I dug into the data to find out!
Nearly 50% of Computers & Society papers might be censored, vs 3% of Computer Vision ‼️
Nearly 50% of Computers & Society papers might be censored, vs 3% of Computer Vision ‼️
🚨 New Study 🚨
@arxiv.bsky.social has recently decided to prohibit any 'position' paper from being submitted to its CS servers.
Why? Because of the "AI slop", and allegedly higher ratios of LLM-generated content in review papers, compared to non-review papers.
@arxiv.bsky.social has recently decided to prohibit any 'position' paper from being submitted to its CS servers.
Why? Because of the "AI slop", and allegedly higher ratios of LLM-generated content in review papers, compared to non-review papers.
January 29, 2026 at 2:14 PM
CS ArXiv recently banned “review and position” papers, but what are those? Do they include more generated content? Who is most affected by this change? @yanai.bsky.social and I dug into the data to find out!
Nearly 50% of Computers & Society papers might be censored, vs 3% of Computer Vision ‼️
Nearly 50% of Computers & Society papers might be censored, vs 3% of Computer Vision ‼️
Reposted by jonathan zong
me, emotionally writing an essay on the use of force by federal agents: ok but what if i packaged this in the most insane way possible www.theverge.com/policy/86857...
Best gas masks
“How did these people go out and get gas masks?” AG Bondi asked.
www.theverge.com
January 29, 2026 at 2:25 PM
me, emotionally writing an essay on the use of force by federal agents: ok but what if i packaged this in the most insane way possible www.theverge.com/policy/86857...
"The secret fear of the morally depraved is that virtue is actually common, and that they’re the ones who are alone."
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...
Minnesota Proved MAGA Wrong
The pushback against ICE exposed a series of mistaken assumptions.
www.theatlantic.com
January 27, 2026 at 11:05 PM
"The secret fear of the morally depraved is that virtue is actually common, and that they’re the ones who are alone."
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...
Reposted by jonathan zong
Here's a regular white guy (literally "Chad") not a protester. because, "It seemed pointless, or just a way for people to expiate their sense of guilt." Chad witnessed something shattering. And, that all changed in a moment.
Excellent article!
Excellent article!
January 26, 2026 at 4:33 AM
Here's a regular white guy (literally "Chad") not a protester. because, "It seemed pointless, or just a way for people to expiate their sense of guilt." Chad witnessed something shattering. And, that all changed in a moment.
Excellent article!
Excellent article!
Reposted by jonathan zong
"Boredom feels like a trap not because it is a static experience, but because it is an all-encompassing way of being; a fog that dissipates attention and dissolves meaning." I liked this essay on boredom (and where it leads us) from @emptysetmagazine.bsky.social www.emptysetmag.com/articles/ent...
Entropic Boredom
How did the internet get this boring? And where is boredom leading us?
www.emptysetmag.com
January 25, 2026 at 8:02 PM
"Boredom feels like a trap not because it is a static experience, but because it is an all-encompassing way of being; a fog that dissipates attention and dissolves meaning." I liked this essay on boredom (and where it leads us) from @emptysetmagazine.bsky.social www.emptysetmag.com/articles/ent...
Reposted by jonathan zong
“Safety experts and tech critics have long condemned the Ring devices for security risks and privacy violations, not to mention their role in building the largest civilian surveillance network in US history.”
Fury as Amazon Ring Cameras Are Hooked Up to ICE System
Online activists are telling owners of Ring Doorbell cameras that it's time to get rid of their devices, which can be used by ICE.
futurism.com
January 21, 2026 at 7:28 PM
“Safety experts and tech critics have long condemned the Ring devices for security risks and privacy violations, not to mention their role in building the largest civilian surveillance network in US history.”
Reposted by jonathan zong
You cannot overstate how startling it is to see a politician just say the thing with clarity and poise. No fearful hemming. No overwrought qualifying down til it’s meaningless. No lingering sense that there is a loyalty to a donor class or an ideology of stasis that they’d never admit to.
Mamdani: "I am in support of abolishing ICE. What we see is an entity that has no interest in fulfilling its stated reason to exist. We're seeing a government agency that is supposed to be enforcing some kind of immigration law, but instead what it's doing is terrorizing people."
January 20, 2026 at 6:17 PM
You cannot overstate how startling it is to see a politician just say the thing with clarity and poise. No fearful hemming. No overwrought qualifying down til it’s meaningless. No lingering sense that there is a loyalty to a donor class or an ideology of stasis that they’d never admit to.
you're telling me there's a SECOND semester???
January 5, 2026 at 9:24 PM
you're telling me there's a SECOND semester???
front splits progress!
December 23, 2025 at 11:07 PM
front splits progress!
I'm excited to share a complete draft syllabus for my new special topics class at CU Boulder, INFO 4871 Design for Accessibility.
data-and-design.org/classes/4871/
data-and-design.org/classes/4871/
INFO 4871: Design for Accessibility
We are an interdisciplinary research group at the University of Colorado Boulder that uses design to understand and reimagine socio-technical systems.
data-and-design.org
December 18, 2025 at 8:57 PM
I'm excited to share a complete draft syllabus for my new special topics class at CU Boulder, INFO 4871 Design for Accessibility.
data-and-design.org/classes/4871/
data-and-design.org/classes/4871/
Reposted by jonathan zong
Should scientists apply to OpenAI's fund for research on AI & mental health? Should policymakers consider it a credible safety effort?
Avriel Epps & I see it as "grantwashing," and it's an insult to anyone whose loved one's death involved chatbots. We explain:
www.techpolicy.press/beware-of-op...
Avriel Epps & I see it as "grantwashing," and it's an insult to anyone whose loved one's death involved chatbots. We explain:
www.techpolicy.press/beware-of-op...
Beware of OpenAI's 'Grantwashing' on AI Harms | TechPolicy.Press
J. Nathan Matias and Avriel Epps say OpenAI's announced research funding is the perfect corporate action to make sure we don't find answers for years.
www.techpolicy.press
December 18, 2025 at 4:29 PM
Should scientists apply to OpenAI's fund for research on AI & mental health? Should policymakers consider it a credible safety effort?
Avriel Epps & I see it as "grantwashing," and it's an insult to anyone whose loved one's death involved chatbots. We explain:
www.techpolicy.press/beware-of-op...
Avriel Epps & I see it as "grantwashing," and it's an insult to anyone whose loved one's death involved chatbots. We explain:
www.techpolicy.press/beware-of-op...
Reposted by jonathan zong
The ACM Digital Library, where a LOT of computing-related research is published (I'd say at least 75% of my own publications), is now not only providing (without consent of the authors and without opt-in by readers) AI-generated summaries of papers, but they appear as the *default* over abstracts.
December 16, 2025 at 11:31 PM
The ACM Digital Library, where a LOT of computing-related research is published (I'd say at least 75% of my own publications), is now not only providing (without consent of the authors and without opt-in by readers) AI-generated summaries of papers, but they appear as the *default* over abstracts.
the @data-and-design.org and information visions (@peck.phd) labs celebrated the end of the semester together yesterday! thanks for a great 2025!
December 15, 2025 at 12:59 AM
the @data-and-design.org and information visions (@peck.phd) labs celebrated the end of the semester together yesterday! thanks for a great 2025!
HCI accessibility folks: what are your favorite systems/design papers in accessibility?
I'm looking for examples that:
- meaningfully involve disabled co-designers
- produce artifacts informed by disability studies (either implicitly or explicitly)
- have an impact, whatever that might mean to you
I'm looking for examples that:
- meaningfully involve disabled co-designers
- produce artifacts informed by disability studies (either implicitly or explicitly)
- have an impact, whatever that might mean to you
December 1, 2025 at 1:00 AM
HCI accessibility folks: what are your favorite systems/design papers in accessibility?
I'm looking for examples that:
- meaningfully involve disabled co-designers
- produce artifacts informed by disability studies (either implicitly or explicitly)
- have an impact, whatever that might mean to you
I'm looking for examples that:
- meaningfully involve disabled co-designers
- produce artifacts informed by disability studies (either implicitly or explicitly)
- have an impact, whatever that might mean to you
Reposted by jonathan zong
Honored to serve on Mayor-elect @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social Transition Committee on Technology. For too long, too many New Yorkers have been left behind. NYC deserves governance that centers affordability, equity, and the public good-looking forward to the work ahead. www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news...
NYC Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani announces transition committees
New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani announced Monday the creation of 17 transition advisory committees made up of more than 400 people.
www.cbsnews.com
November 24, 2025 at 10:52 PM
Honored to serve on Mayor-elect @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social Transition Committee on Technology. For too long, too many New Yorkers have been left behind. NYC deserves governance that centers affordability, equity, and the public good-looking forward to the work ahead. www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news...
Reposted by jonathan zong
Did you know that Slices of Life is generally available for purchase now?? It is and boy will it make a great gift for the holidays! Get your orders in now!
Book: www.bulgilhanpress.com/store/p/slic...
Book & Print Bundle: www.bulgilhanpress.com/store/p/slic...
Book: www.bulgilhanpress.com/store/p/slic...
Book & Print Bundle: www.bulgilhanpress.com/store/p/slic...
November 20, 2025 at 5:56 PM
Did you know that Slices of Life is generally available for purchase now?? It is and boy will it make a great gift for the holidays! Get your orders in now!
Book: www.bulgilhanpress.com/store/p/slic...
Book & Print Bundle: www.bulgilhanpress.com/store/p/slic...
Book: www.bulgilhanpress.com/store/p/slic...
Book & Print Bundle: www.bulgilhanpress.com/store/p/slic...
this week, i was so fortunate to have @kayserifserif.place as a guest speaker in my user-centered design class!
in her talk, katherine shared work from her creative practice as a programmer and poet, and from her professional work with @fathom.info
data-and-design.org/blog/2025/11...
in her talk, katherine shared work from her creative practice as a programmer and poet, and from her professional work with @fathom.info
data-and-design.org/blog/2025/11...
Making Poetic Tools and Nurturing Soft Tech: Katherine Yang on Art, Code, and Information Design
This week, artist and programmer Katherine Yang visited INFO 4609 User-Centered Design to share about her work and career across information design and creative technology. Katherine is currently a fr...
data-and-design.org
November 13, 2025 at 9:43 PM
this week, i was so fortunate to have @kayserifserif.place as a guest speaker in my user-centered design class!
in her talk, katherine shared work from her creative practice as a programmer and poet, and from her professional work with @fathom.info
data-and-design.org/blog/2025/11...
in her talk, katherine shared work from her creative practice as a programmer and poet, and from her professional work with @fathom.info
data-and-design.org/blog/2025/11...
Reposted by jonathan zong
Interested in accessibility, visualization, or data ethics? I'm looking for Ph.D. students to join @data-and-design.org at CU Boulder Info Sci in Fall 2026.
data-and-design.org/recruiting/phd
data-and-design.org/recruiting/phd
Recruiting Ph.D. Students for Fall 2026
We are an interdisciplinary research group at the University of Colorado Boulder that uses design to understand and reimagine socio-technical systems.
data-and-design.org
September 4, 2025 at 8:01 PM
Interested in accessibility, visualization, or data ethics? I'm looking for Ph.D. students to join @data-and-design.org at CU Boulder Info Sci in Fall 2026.
data-and-design.org/recruiting/phd
data-and-design.org/recruiting/phd
Reposted by jonathan zong
Can’t stop thinking about all the robber baron fucks that held secret meetings and spent MILLIONS AND MILLIONS in bribes and campaign investments and attack ads and media manipulation trying to tank Mamdani currently having the dawning realization that their money is completely and utterly useless.
November 5, 2025 at 2:25 AM
Can’t stop thinking about all the robber baron fucks that held secret meetings and spent MILLIONS AND MILLIONS in bribes and campaign investments and attack ads and media manipulation trying to tank Mamdani currently having the dawning realization that their money is completely and utterly useless.
Hiding participant identities is standard research ethics practice. But is it always the best fit for HCI accessibility work?
For the VIS access workshop, I argue that crediting disabled participants by their real names (with consent) advances citational justice
data-and-design.org/publications...
For the VIS access workshop, I argue that crediting disabled participants by their real names (with consent) advances citational justice
data-and-design.org/publications...
Using Real Names of Disabled Participant-Contributors to Practice Citational Justice in Accessibility
Abstract
data-and-design.org
October 30, 2025 at 9:26 PM
Hiding participant identities is standard research ethics practice. But is it always the best fit for HCI accessibility work?
For the VIS access workshop, I argue that crediting disabled participants by their real names (with consent) advances citational justice
data-and-design.org/publications...
For the VIS access workshop, I argue that crediting disabled participants by their real names (with consent) advances citational justice
data-and-design.org/publications...
hello #ASSETS2025!
1) check out Catherine's Monday talk about Benthic, a system for perceptually congruent screen reader interfaces for diagrams.
2) i'm looking for phd students interested in accessibility and design to join @data-and-design.org next year! data-and-design.org/recruiting/phd
1) check out Catherine's Monday talk about Benthic, a system for perceptually congruent screen reader interfaces for diagrams.
2) i'm looking for phd students interested in accessibility and design to join @data-and-design.org next year! data-and-design.org/recruiting/phd
October 26, 2025 at 9:50 PM
hello #ASSETS2025!
1) check out Catherine's Monday talk about Benthic, a system for perceptually congruent screen reader interfaces for diagrams.
2) i'm looking for phd students interested in accessibility and design to join @data-and-design.org next year! data-and-design.org/recruiting/phd
1) check out Catherine's Monday talk about Benthic, a system for perceptually congruent screen reader interfaces for diagrams.
2) i'm looking for phd students interested in accessibility and design to join @data-and-design.org next year! data-and-design.org/recruiting/phd
Charts and diagrams use visual structure to convey meaning. For example, spacing and alignment groups data, spatial proximity links labels to elements. But this visual structure is typically invisible to screen readers.
Introducing Benthic, new research at #ASSETS2025
vis.mit.edu/pubs/benthic/
Introducing Benthic, new research at #ASSETS2025
vis.mit.edu/pubs/benthic/
Benthic: Perceptually Congruent Structures for Accessible Charts and Diagrams | MIT Visualization Group
Graphical representations—such as charts and diagrams—have a visual structure that communicates the relationship between visual elements. For instance, we might consider two elements to be connected w...
vis.mit.edu
October 20, 2025 at 11:10 PM
Charts and diagrams use visual structure to convey meaning. For example, spacing and alignment groups data, spatial proximity links labels to elements. But this visual structure is typically invisible to screen readers.
Introducing Benthic, new research at #ASSETS2025
vis.mit.edu/pubs/benthic/
Introducing Benthic, new research at #ASSETS2025
vis.mit.edu/pubs/benthic/