Laura Kurgan
@laurakurgan.bsky.social
@faculty @GSAPP @ Columbia University c4sr.columbia.edu lapsed architect, maps, dataviz, art, design, spatial computation, spatial research.
Reposted by Laura Kurgan
The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation has generously awarded us funding to secure our own storage. This critical processing space will be instrumental in ensuring that large datasets can be temporarily stored, curated, and described.
Thank you, MacArthur Foundation, for your support!
Thank you, MacArthur Foundation, for your support!
Data Rescue Projects receives support from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation to support data rescue efforts
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Since launching in February 2025, the Data Rescue Project has grown substantially. At this point, the DRP has enabled the rescue of more than 1,000 datasets from US Federal…
www.datarescueproject.org
November 4, 2025 at 5:20 PM
The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation has generously awarded us funding to secure our own storage. This critical processing space will be instrumental in ensuring that large datasets can be temporarily stored, curated, and described.
Thank you, MacArthur Foundation, for your support!
Thank you, MacArthur Foundation, for your support!
Reposted by Laura Kurgan
Back in the day people used to have a slide at the end of their presentations saying "and that's how the brain works" as an inside joke about Hinton since he was known to talk confidently out of his ass.
Now, the Nobel committee brought this upon us like they give the peace prize to genociders.
Now, the Nobel committee brought this upon us like they give the peace prize to genociders.
anyway, here is 2024 Nobel Prize in Physics winner Geoffrey Hinton discussing what we know about large AI models on 60 Minutes.
October 7, 2025 at 10:35 PM
Back in the day people used to have a slide at the end of their presentations saying "and that's how the brain works" as an inside joke about Hinton since he was known to talk confidently out of his ass.
Now, the Nobel committee brought this upon us like they give the peace prize to genociders.
Now, the Nobel committee brought this upon us like they give the peace prize to genociders.
Reposted by Laura Kurgan
A problem with LLMs, genAI products, and many SaaS products in general, is that the makers don't publicly assert the actual purpose(s) those products are created to satisfy. They prefer to give vague suggestions or more commonly put them out with a "here, see what you can do with this"
thread?
thread?
April 29, 2025 at 2:33 PM
A problem with LLMs, genAI products, and many SaaS products in general, is that the makers don't publicly assert the actual purpose(s) those products are created to satisfy. They prefer to give vague suggestions or more commonly put them out with a "here, see what you can do with this"
thread?
thread?
Reposted by Laura Kurgan
New OA book. Seeing Like a Platform: An Inquiry into the Condition of Digital Modernity by Petter Törnberg and Justus Uitermark. www.taylorfrancis.com/books/oa-edi...
Seeing Like a Platform | An Inquiry into the Condition of Digital Mode
Power needs abstraction, to make the unwieldy complexity of the social world legible and manageable. The proposition at the heart of Seeing Like a Platform is
www.taylorfrancis.com
April 30, 2025 at 8:49 AM
New OA book. Seeing Like a Platform: An Inquiry into the Condition of Digital Modernity by Petter Törnberg and Justus Uitermark. www.taylorfrancis.com/books/oa-edi...
Reposted by Laura Kurgan
More than 300 people from around the world & from all corners of the data viz field have signed up 🎉 Couldn’t be more pleased to have helped play a role in bringing so many people together in the last year.
Be sure to pin the feed for easy access to all kinds of 📊 goodness
bsky.app/profile/did:...
Be sure to pin the feed for easy access to all kinds of 📊 goodness
bsky.app/profile/did:...
Welcome to the 📊 Data Viz feed! This feed is designed to encourage sharing work and all kinds of discussion related to the broad field of data viz.
To participate, you must:
- Include 📊, #dataviz, or #datavis in your post
- Be added to the account list. Sign up here: forms.gle/mcVVczaQCBJL...
To participate, you must:
- Include 📊, #dataviz, or #datavis in your post
- Be added to the account list. Sign up here: forms.gle/mcVVczaQCBJL...
December 15, 2024 at 5:30 PM
More than 300 people from around the world & from all corners of the data viz field have signed up 🎉 Couldn’t be more pleased to have helped play a role in bringing so many people together in the last year.
Be sure to pin the feed for easy access to all kinds of 📊 goodness
bsky.app/profile/did:...
Be sure to pin the feed for easy access to all kinds of 📊 goodness
bsky.app/profile/did:...
Reposted by Laura Kurgan
"The boxes were filled with hundreds of 35mm slides from the Dept of Defense [that] appear to be from the height of the Cold War... They are the perfect inverse of contemporary Pentagon graphic design in all its sprawling insanity, permanently poisoned by the vernacular of PowerPoint and clip art.”
Cold War Military Slides
A reporter stumbled upon a treasure trove of Department of Defense slides from the 1970s and 1980s depicting data from missile systems, Soviet capabilities and America’s nuclear arsenal.
www.beautifulpublicdata.com
February 24, 2025 at 10:07 PM
"The boxes were filled with hundreds of 35mm slides from the Dept of Defense [that] appear to be from the height of the Cold War... They are the perfect inverse of contemporary Pentagon graphic design in all its sprawling insanity, permanently poisoned by the vernacular of PowerPoint and clip art.”
Reposted by Laura Kurgan
We mock the egg price discourse but if Harris had won rising prices would have been the crisis cited as killing her presidency before it got started.
February 17, 2025 at 11:39 PM
We mock the egg price discourse but if Harris had won rising prices would have been the crisis cited as killing her presidency before it got started.
Reposted by Laura Kurgan
for pity’s sake, I am BEGGING university leaders to stop framing this issue in terms of what this will cost the university. people dont care!
EXPLAIN WHAT THIS WILL COST THE PUBLIC: closed hospitals and clinics, skipped treatments, loss of access to experimental drugs, unemployment, recession
EXPLAIN WHAT THIS WILL COST THE PUBLIC: closed hospitals and clinics, skipped treatments, loss of access to experimental drugs, unemployment, recession
February 9, 2025 at 10:00 PM
for pity’s sake, I am BEGGING university leaders to stop framing this issue in terms of what this will cost the university. people dont care!
EXPLAIN WHAT THIS WILL COST THE PUBLIC: closed hospitals and clinics, skipped treatments, loss of access to experimental drugs, unemployment, recession
EXPLAIN WHAT THIS WILL COST THE PUBLIC: closed hospitals and clinics, skipped treatments, loss of access to experimental drugs, unemployment, recession
Reposted by Laura Kurgan
Costco, which has come out saying it supports DEI, will make no changes to its existing programs, AND pays workers a minimum of $30/hour, is up 15% YTD.
Target, which announced it is ending all DEI programs and has a minimum wage of $15-$24/hour, is down over 4%.
Keep voting with your wallet.
Target, which announced it is ending all DEI programs and has a minimum wage of $15-$24/hour, is down over 4%.
Keep voting with your wallet.
February 8, 2025 at 1:19 PM
Costco, which has come out saying it supports DEI, will make no changes to its existing programs, AND pays workers a minimum of $30/hour, is up 15% YTD.
Target, which announced it is ending all DEI programs and has a minimum wage of $15-$24/hour, is down over 4%.
Keep voting with your wallet.
Target, which announced it is ending all DEI programs and has a minimum wage of $15-$24/hour, is down over 4%.
Keep voting with your wallet.
Reposted by Laura Kurgan
Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia will tomorrow permanently disconnect from Russia’s power grid.
Russia can no longer use energy as a tool of blackmail.
This is a victory for freedom and European unity.
Russia can no longer use energy as a tool of blackmail.
This is a victory for freedom and European unity.
February 7, 2025 at 7:15 AM
Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia will tomorrow permanently disconnect from Russia’s power grid.
Russia can no longer use energy as a tool of blackmail.
This is a victory for freedom and European unity.
Russia can no longer use energy as a tool of blackmail.
This is a victory for freedom and European unity.
Reposted by Laura Kurgan
The news cycle right now - even just for science & higher ed - is overwhelming. We have to do it, but fortunately, we don’t have to do it alone.
My team is focused on tracking what’s happening to research funding, jobs & salaries, shared datasets, university responses & safety of our communities
My team is focused on tracking what’s happening to research funding, jobs & salaries, shared datasets, university responses & safety of our communities
February 1, 2025 at 3:59 PM
The news cycle right now - even just for science & higher ed - is overwhelming. We have to do it, but fortunately, we don’t have to do it alone.
My team is focused on tracking what’s happening to research funding, jobs & salaries, shared datasets, university responses & safety of our communities
My team is focused on tracking what’s happening to research funding, jobs & salaries, shared datasets, university responses & safety of our communities
Reposted by Laura Kurgan
Thank you @sifill.bsky.social
Well you inspired me to create a Black democracy starter pack. Cause those are also overwhelmingly white.
go.bsky.app/6WTBzhX
go.bsky.app/6WTBzhX
January 12, 2025 at 8:04 PM
Thank you @sifill.bsky.social
Reposted by Laura Kurgan
The amount of stupid on social media right now is depressing. The billionaire Resnicks own a lot of land and a lot of water rights. They do not, contrary to a lot of the stupid, "own all California's water" or have anything to do with the L.A. fires.
January 12, 2025 at 7:33 PM
The amount of stupid on social media right now is depressing. The billionaire Resnicks own a lot of land and a lot of water rights. They do not, contrary to a lot of the stupid, "own all California's water" or have anything to do with the L.A. fires.
Reposted by Laura Kurgan
My God. Small fire tornadoes were spotted Friday night at the Palisades Fire.
Thank you to all the California firefighters risking their lives to protect others. Heroes. 🫡
Thank you to all the California firefighters risking their lives to protect others. Heroes. 🫡
January 12, 2025 at 2:47 PM
My God. Small fire tornadoes were spotted Friday night at the Palisades Fire.
Thank you to all the California firefighters risking their lives to protect others. Heroes. 🫡
Thank you to all the California firefighters risking their lives to protect others. Heroes. 🫡
Reposted by Laura Kurgan
Well would you look at that.
December 25, 2024 at 7:39 PM
Well would you look at that.
Reposted by Laura Kurgan
As Black Friday purchases begin to arrive at your door, consider their packaging — more than likely in cardboard boxes. These "abject objects," @shannonmattern.bsky.social writes, are touchpoints to a global apparatus of commerce, consumption & waste. They bring the logistics chain to our doorsteps.
World in a Box: Cardboard Media and the Geographic Imagination
Cardboard boxes hold a world of meaning — a geography of consumption, disposal, and reuse — that spans from Amazon to the Container Corporation of America.
placesjournal.org
December 6, 2024 at 1:51 AM
As Black Friday purchases begin to arrive at your door, consider their packaging — more than likely in cardboard boxes. These "abject objects," @shannonmattern.bsky.social writes, are touchpoints to a global apparatus of commerce, consumption & waste. They bring the logistics chain to our doorsteps.
Nadine Fattaleh is fantastic too:)) wish I could go.
Josh is wonderful, this will be a fantastic event.
I can't attend this on Wed eve (we've got final presentations in my class!), but I'd ❤️ to hear Nadine Fattaleh in conversation w/ Josh MacPhee (of Interference Archive) at NYU
December 3, 2024 at 1:00 AM
Nadine Fattaleh is fantastic too:)) wish I could go.
Reposted by Laura Kurgan
50 Watts is such a good online store for weird, arty books: 50wattsbooks.com (I think shipping is US-only for the near future, though)
50WattsBooks.com - unusual art books, comics, zines, and picture books
50 Watts Books is a bookstore and indie publisher specializing in art books, Japanese art, underground comics, Surrealism, international picture books.
50wattsbooks.com
December 2, 2024 at 7:51 PM
50 Watts is such a good online store for weird, arty books: 50wattsbooks.com (I think shipping is US-only for the near future, though)
Reposted by Laura Kurgan
If you think text and image hallucinations are bad, wait until you see what Geospatial hallucinations can do
Large Geospatial Models.
What could go wrong?
(Serious answers preferred, memes acceptable)
nianticlabs.com/news/largege...
What could go wrong?
(Serious answers preferred, memes acceptable)
nianticlabs.com/news/largege...
Building a Large Geospatial Model to Achieve Spatial Intelligence
At Niantic, we are pioneering the concept of a Large Geospatial Model that will use large-scale machine learning to understand a scene and connect it to millions of other scenes globally.
nianticlabs.com
December 2, 2024 at 8:33 PM
If you think text and image hallucinations are bad, wait until you see what Geospatial hallucinations can do
Reposted by Laura Kurgan
"In season 3 of Getty’s Recording Artists podcast, [we examine] the groundbreaking art-science organization Experiments in Art and Technology (E.A.T.). Through the stories of E.A.T.’s co-founders, Robt Rauschenberg + Bell Labs engineer Billy Klüver" we explore the org's collaborative, creative rsch
Recording Artists | Getty Podcasts
What can happen when you introduce scientists to art and artists to science? Artists and engineers discover the creative potential of new technologies.
www.getty.edu
December 3, 2024 at 12:29 AM
"In season 3 of Getty’s Recording Artists podcast, [we examine] the groundbreaking art-science organization Experiments in Art and Technology (E.A.T.). Through the stories of E.A.T.’s co-founders, Robt Rauschenberg + Bell Labs engineer Billy Klüver" we explore the org's collaborative, creative rsch
This might be more important to do than previous years.
Hello! Please share this widely. It’s done every four years and is quite useful for academics, journalists, and people who need specific datasets to do their work.
It’s legit.
- me, a librarian who specialized in digital archiving practices.
It’s legit.
- me, a librarian who specialized in digital archiving practices.
Every US presidential election period we do a wide crawl of all federal websites.
YOU can contribute to the 2024 End of Term Web Archive eotarchive.org/contribute/
- Nominate Gov URLs
- Upload bulk seed lists
- Help surface database deep links
- Spread the word #EOT2024 #EOTArchive
YOU can contribute to the 2024 End of Term Web Archive eotarchive.org/contribute/
- Nominate Gov URLs
- Upload bulk seed lists
- Help surface database deep links
- Spread the word #EOT2024 #EOTArchive
November 28, 2024 at 1:08 PM
This might be more important to do than previous years.
Reposted by Laura Kurgan
This is one of those examples that illustrates a harm of algorithmic systems that is often invisible—system “predicts” who is likely to miss appointments, and recommends double booking those slots, thus punishing poor people by wasting their time. arstechnica.com/health/2024/...
November 28, 2024 at 5:30 AM
This is one of those examples that illustrates a harm of algorithmic systems that is often invisible—system “predicts” who is likely to miss appointments, and recommends double booking those slots, thus punishing poor people by wasting their time. arstechnica.com/health/2024/...
Reposted by Laura Kurgan
Although delivered in Fall 2022, it remains a crucial intervention in light of today's conditions.
parsejournal.com/article/the-...
parsejournal.com/article/the-...
November 28, 2024 at 5:48 AM
Although delivered in Fall 2022, it remains a crucial intervention in light of today's conditions.
parsejournal.com/article/the-...
parsejournal.com/article/the-...
Reposted by Laura Kurgan
I had a great, if not bleak, convo on the urban displacement podcast. We discussed urbicide in different contexts and its differentiated impact from Palestine to Sudan, the significance of materials like concrete as weapons of war and more. Have a listen!
open.spotify.com/episode/4YAn...
open.spotify.com/episode/4YAn...
Episode 23: The Urbanisation of Conflict
Displacement Urbanism · Episode
open.spotify.com
November 28, 2024 at 7:36 AM
I had a great, if not bleak, convo on the urban displacement podcast. We discussed urbicide in different contexts and its differentiated impact from Palestine to Sudan, the significance of materials like concrete as weapons of war and more. Have a listen!
open.spotify.com/episode/4YAn...
open.spotify.com/episode/4YAn...
Reposted by Laura Kurgan
Ever lost track of all the satellite imagery you wanted to analyse? The Bellingcat Search Grid Generator simplifies your task, by overlaying a grid that turns your geolocation search into manageable sections. Watch @galen.reich.me.uk explain how: www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKNl...
How To... Track Your Satellite Search
YouTube video by Bellingcat
www.youtube.com
November 28, 2024 at 12:50 PM
Ever lost track of all the satellite imagery you wanted to analyse? The Bellingcat Search Grid Generator simplifies your task, by overlaying a grid that turns your geolocation search into manageable sections. Watch @galen.reich.me.uk explain how: www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKNl...