Michael Hirsch
@mdhirschebar.bsky.social
Linux, math, tai chi, guitar, science, SF, old fart
It's #BikeToWork day. This is the swag that I didn't eat on my way here
June 25, 2025 at 2:25 PM
It's #BikeToWork day. This is the swag that I didn't eat on my way here
I asked Gemini about Roosevelt Island, and in its answer it said "Despite its proximity, the reliance on the tram or the F train as the main transportation links contributes to a feeling of being disconnected from the மற்ற other boroughs."
Apparently "மற்ற" is a Tamil word for"other"!
Apparently "மற்ற" is a Tamil word for"other"!
May 9, 2025 at 3:32 AM
I asked Gemini about Roosevelt Island, and in its answer it said "Despite its proximity, the reliance on the tram or the F train as the main transportation links contributes to a feeling of being disconnected from the மற்ற other boroughs."
Apparently "மற்ற" is a Tamil word for"other"!
Apparently "மற்ற" is a Tamil word for"other"!
Hey PayPal! I just tried to delete my account. You offered to delete all my data, first. "How nice" I thought and clicked that link. Then you wanted an email address but the form could not be filled in! And it wouldn't let me continue without an email. Catch 22! Now I can't delete my account.
March 28, 2025 at 4:07 AM
Hey PayPal! I just tried to delete my account. You offered to delete all my data, first. "How nice" I thought and clicked that link. Then you wanted an email address but the form could not be filled in! And it wouldn't let me continue without an email. Catch 22! Now I can't delete my account.
Reposted by Michael Hirsch
Give a man a fish, he'll eat for a day.
Teach a man to fish, he'll contribute to the global overdepletion of the ocean.
So give him a salad, maybe.
Teach a man to fish, he'll contribute to the global overdepletion of the ocean.
So give him a salad, maybe.
December 1, 2024 at 11:56 PM
Give a man a fish, he'll eat for a day.
Teach a man to fish, he'll contribute to the global overdepletion of the ocean.
So give him a salad, maybe.
Teach a man to fish, he'll contribute to the global overdepletion of the ocean.
So give him a salad, maybe.
Train wreck in Boulder last night. Both conductors with minor injuries. I swear that I heard it from my bedroom. My usual walking commute got reported, but I could still get these pictures of the trains. #BoulderTrainWreck
August 23, 2024 at 4:36 PM
Train wreck in Boulder last night. Both conductors with minor injuries. I swear that I heard it from my bedroom. My usual walking commute got reported, but I could still get these pictures of the trains. #BoulderTrainWreck
Reposted by Michael Hirsch
It's Colorado's annual Bike to Work Day. I collected enough stuff for breakfast and lunch, plus stickers for my laptop
June 28, 2023 at 2:44 PM
It's Colorado's annual Bike to Work Day. I collected enough stuff for breakfast and lunch, plus stickers for my laptop
Is that from the live action version of "The Aristocats"?
June 27, 2023 at 1:36 AM
Is that from the live action version of "The Aristocats"?
I love that place. I eat there fairly often. Great empanadas!
Argentina-style comfort food, at Rincon Argentino in Boulder Colorado 🔥
June 18, 2023 at 3:35 AM
I love that place. I eat there fairly often. Great empanadas!
An interesting take on Eloon's Twitter takeover. It might even be right...
June 17, 2023 at 6:17 PM
An interesting take on Eloon's Twitter takeover. It might even be right...
Already read it. It was very good. That description is accurate, if slightly immediate.
Do you like moose romance, public transit, and environmental engineering? Check out my novel The Terraformers, on sale as an ebook today only for $3 https://www.amazon.com/Terraformers-Annalee-Newitz-ebook/dp/B09XL7N9XD/
June 4, 2023 at 3:43 PM
Already read it. It was very good. That description is accurate, if slightly immediate.
Shouldn't like density be more important than number of likes. Someone with a thousand followers is going to get 100 likes if 1 of every 10 followers likes it. But if a user with 50 followers gets 40 likes, I think that is a stronger signal of a good post.
i actually feel like what's hot has become a feed of people who have been here for a while so they can easily hit that >12 like threshold to get boosted to the what's hot feed, which makes it hard for new accounts to be seen, so custom feeds should improve discoverability
May 21, 2023 at 2:32 AM
Shouldn't like density be more important than number of likes. Someone with a thousand followers is going to get 100 likes if 1 of every 10 followers likes it. But if a user with 50 followers gets 40 likes, I think that is a stronger signal of a good post.
Reposted by Michael Hirsch
Thread on why I have sympathy for the orcas sinking boats:
When I started snorkeling and diving, I saw what was beneath the waves for the first time. It was really beautiful, and really sad. Whole coral forests are dying, and it’s hard for people to notice because the surface looks the same.
When I started snorkeling and diving, I saw what was beneath the waves for the first time. It was really beautiful, and really sad. Whole coral forests are dying, and it’s hard for people to notice because the surface looks the same.
May 20, 2023 at 3:10 AM
Thread on why I have sympathy for the orcas sinking boats:
When I started snorkeling and diving, I saw what was beneath the waves for the first time. It was really beautiful, and really sad. Whole coral forests are dying, and it’s hard for people to notice because the surface looks the same.
When I started snorkeling and diving, I saw what was beneath the waves for the first time. It was really beautiful, and really sad. Whole coral forests are dying, and it’s hard for people to notice because the surface looks the same.
I was just thinking about this. Why not keep it invite only? With exponential growth it could still become ubiquitous, but the knowledge of who invited a bad actor might have a beneficial effect. The invitor can be punished, and that might change behavior. Why open it up completely?
Agree on the invites keeping things pleasant but at some point bsky will be out of beta and we won’t have that to rely on.
May 14, 2023 at 8:25 PM
I was just thinking about this. Why not keep it invite only? With exponential growth it could still become ubiquitous, but the knowledge of who invited a bad actor might have a beneficial effect. The invitor can be punished, and that might change behavior. Why open it up completely?
Reposted by Michael Hirsch
Twitter used to routinely challenge Turkey’s takedown requests
Erdogan actually had Twitter banned in Turkey in 2014 for refusing to comply. (the courts later ended the ban.)
but that was on the “censorship” version of Twitter, not this new “free speech” one
Erdogan actually had Twitter banned in Turkey in 2014 for refusing to comply. (the courts later ended the ban.)
but that was on the “censorship” version of Twitter, not this new “free speech” one
May 14, 2023 at 1:12 AM
Twitter used to routinely challenge Turkey’s takedown requests
Erdogan actually had Twitter banned in Turkey in 2014 for refusing to comply. (the courts later ended the ban.)
but that was on the “censorship” version of Twitter, not this new “free speech” one
Erdogan actually had Twitter banned in Turkey in 2014 for refusing to comply. (the courts later ended the ban.)
but that was on the “censorship” version of Twitter, not this new “free speech” one
Welp, I deactivated my bird account just now. I feel better already.
May 12, 2023 at 10:43 PM
Welp, I deactivated my bird account just now. I feel better already.
This is great to see. Not the way we were implementing it at Twitter, but I like it. Lots of promise.
⚡️ Now ready for development: custom algorithms!
We've put together a starter kit with instructions on how to implement your own custom algorithm here.
https://github.com/bluesky-social/feed-generator
We've put together a starter kit with instructions on how to implement your own custom algorithm here.
https://github.com/bluesky-social/feed-generator
May 12, 2023 at 4:49 PM
This is great to see. Not the way we were implementing it at Twitter, but I like it. Lots of promise.