⿻ patcon (is in Toronto)
@patcon.bsky.social
& this is the wonder that keeps the stars apart. #complexity #plurality #democracy #civictech @CivicTechTO cfndr. @g0vtw fan. early pol.is cntrbtr. ex: biochemst @enviroDGI @HyphaCoop @nwspk @gc_talent
🏡 SF/Tkaronto/NOLA/London
🔗 nodescription.net/notes
🏡 SF/Tkaronto/NOLA/London
🔗 nodescription.net/notes
Pinned
If you're looking for ppl doing interesting work w pol.is & #PolisLike #democracy tools (aka #wikisurvey #consensus), please do skim this starter park! #bridgingsystems #civictech (Slowly curating from the Twitter list I've been maintaining for a few years)
Suggestions welcome!🙏🏻
go.bsky.app/Ftj3nqW
Suggestions welcome!🙏🏻
go.bsky.app/Ftj3nqW
Reposted by ⿻ patcon (is in Toronto)
The Epstein Files, everybody!
December 19, 2025 at 9:13 PM
The Epstein Files, everybody!
Reposted by ⿻ patcon (is in Toronto)
A short reflection on my childhood piano teacher, who taught me to read music, and as a consequence, indirectly taught me to love data analysis: www.monicaalexander.com/posts/2025-1...
Music, statistics, and the appreciation of order and chaos
Recently my childhood piano teacher passed away. Eric Mitchell, OAM (or, Mr Mitchell as he always was to us) grew up in Victoria, Australia. He studied in Paris, where he met and married a baroness, a...
www.monicaalexander.com
December 10, 2025 at 1:54 PM
A short reflection on my childhood piano teacher, who taught me to read music, and as a consequence, indirectly taught me to love data analysis: www.monicaalexander.com/posts/2025-1...
Current status: thinking about #collectiveintelligence & governance... while doing dystopian #scifi world-building in which humans are harvested (in a Matrix sense) not for our energy, but as a cheap sensor for "surprise", using N400 EEG signals.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N400_%2...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N400_%2...
N400 (neuroscience) - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
December 16, 2025 at 11:13 PM
Current status: thinking about #collectiveintelligence & governance... while doing dystopian #scifi world-building in which humans are harvested (in a Matrix sense) not for our energy, but as a cheap sensor for "surprise", using N400 EEG signals.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N400_%2...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N400_%2...
Reposted by ⿻ patcon (is in Toronto)
My @thestar.com column this week: Civic Tech in Toronto turns ten!
A look at some of the people getting together each week to hack away at our problems via @civictechto.bsky.social — and what City Hall could be doing to support their work.
www.thestar.com/opinion/cont...
A look at some of the people getting together each week to hack away at our problems via @civictechto.bsky.social — and what City Hall could be doing to support their work.
www.thestar.com/opinion/cont...
Matt Elliott: Yes, tech can be a force for good. Meet the people hacking Toronto for the better
The volunteers who created the Civic Dashboard and BikeSpace apps this weekend mark their 10th anniversary of brainstorming and tech development with a two-day event called Civic Spark.
www.thestar.com
August 14, 2025 at 3:03 PM
My @thestar.com column this week: Civic Tech in Toronto turns ten!
A look at some of the people getting together each week to hack away at our problems via @civictechto.bsky.social — and what City Hall could be doing to support their work.
www.thestar.com/opinion/cont...
A look at some of the people getting together each week to hack away at our problems via @civictechto.bsky.social — and what City Hall could be doing to support their work.
www.thestar.com/opinion/cont...
What if the primary feature of all political & governing intelligence is "recursion": a nested feedback loop back on itself? (As it is in minds, genes, LLMs & language itself)
What might that say about what we should lean into, even if it doesn't obvious work on first loop-back?
What might that say about what we should lean into, even if it doesn't obvious work on first loop-back?
December 16, 2025 at 7:28 PM
What if the primary feature of all political & governing intelligence is "recursion": a nested feedback loop back on itself? (As it is in minds, genes, LLMs & language itself)
What might that say about what we should lean into, even if it doesn't obvious work on first loop-back?
What might that say about what we should lean into, even if it doesn't obvious work on first loop-back?
Remember "Thunderclap", that social media app for many people simultaneously saying one simple thing loudly together..
Can someone pls bring that back, but for telling #DonaldTrump to fuck right off? (with interlocked international & domestic arms of the global body politic)
Can someone pls bring that back, but for telling #DonaldTrump to fuck right off? (with interlocked international & domestic arms of the global body politic)
December 15, 2025 at 9:01 PM
Remember "Thunderclap", that social media app for many people simultaneously saying one simple thing loudly together..
Can someone pls bring that back, but for telling #DonaldTrump to fuck right off? (with interlocked international & domestic arms of the global body politic)
Can someone pls bring that back, but for telling #DonaldTrump to fuck right off? (with interlocked international & domestic arms of the global body politic)
@cstross.bsky.social heads up, you're the #4 futurist on HN from 10 years ago ;) karpathy.ai/hncapsule/ha...
Hall of Fame - HN Time Capsule
karpathy.ai
December 11, 2025 at 4:57 AM
@cstross.bsky.social heads up, you're the #4 futurist on HN from 10 years ago ;) karpathy.ai/hncapsule/ha...
Current status, after watching a video about kea parrots, one of the few non-mammals that laugh: www.youtube.com/watch?v=ad17...
Thinking about laughter as a pre-linguistic animal sound that promotes swarm behaviour...
Thinking about laughter as a pre-linguistic animal sound that promotes swarm behaviour...
These Birds Become Really Playful When They Hear This Sound | Smithsonian Channel
YouTube video by Smithsonian Channel
www.youtube.com
December 5, 2025 at 3:33 PM
Current status, after watching a video about kea parrots, one of the few non-mammals that laugh: www.youtube.com/watch?v=ad17...
Thinking about laughter as a pre-linguistic animal sound that promotes swarm behaviour...
Thinking about laughter as a pre-linguistic animal sound that promotes swarm behaviour...
There comes time when everyone should ask:
IS FALCONRY RIGHT FOR ME?
IS FALCONRY RIGHT FOR ME?
December 5, 2025 at 3:06 PM
There comes time when everyone should ask:
IS FALCONRY RIGHT FOR ME?
IS FALCONRY RIGHT FOR ME?
Current status: working on analysis tools for #polislike data, reflecting on
- affect as valence (direction) x arousal (activation)
- thinking system 1 & 2, fast & slow
- pre-language and post-language minds
- animal and human knowledge
- short-term instinct and long-term reason
- affect as valence (direction) x arousal (activation)
- thinking system 1 & 2, fast & slow
- pre-language and post-language minds
- animal and human knowledge
- short-term instinct and long-term reason
December 4, 2025 at 7:32 PM
Current status: working on analysis tools for #polislike data, reflecting on
- affect as valence (direction) x arousal (activation)
- thinking system 1 & 2, fast & slow
- pre-language and post-language minds
- animal and human knowledge
- short-term instinct and long-term reason
- affect as valence (direction) x arousal (activation)
- thinking system 1 & 2, fast & slow
- pre-language and post-language minds
- animal and human knowledge
- short-term instinct and long-term reason
Hey all! 📣 #polislike open call, today at 2:30pm PT / 5:30pm ET / 23:30 CET (⏱️ 4.5h from now)
🫶 facilitation processes
🪞 interfaces & UX
🧩 dimensional reduction algos
✨ anything else we feel like
🕳️ Join: lu.ma/polislike
(part of @metagov.bsky.social, not affiliated with pol.is)
🫶 facilitation processes
🪞 interfaces & UX
🧩 dimensional reduction algos
✨ anything else we feel like
🕳️ Join: lu.ma/polislike
(part of @metagov.bsky.social, not affiliated with pol.is)
polislike · Events Calendar
View and subscribe to events from polislike on Luma.
lu.ma
December 3, 2025 at 6:02 PM
Hey all! 📣 #polislike open call, today at 2:30pm PT / 5:30pm ET / 23:30 CET (⏱️ 4.5h from now)
🫶 facilitation processes
🪞 interfaces & UX
🧩 dimensional reduction algos
✨ anything else we feel like
🕳️ Join: lu.ma/polislike
(part of @metagov.bsky.social, not affiliated with pol.is)
🫶 facilitation processes
🪞 interfaces & UX
🧩 dimensional reduction algos
✨ anything else we feel like
🕳️ Join: lu.ma/polislike
(part of @metagov.bsky.social, not affiliated with pol.is)
In my #collectiveintelligence work, I've been using lots of pol.is & #polislike reaction data (conveniently in sparse vote matrices), and noticing my neighbors in the scRNA-seq community creating some rad tooling, algos and standards under @scverse.bsky.social team...
December 2, 2025 at 6:48 PM
In my #collectiveintelligence work, I've been using lots of pol.is & #polislike reaction data (conveniently in sparse vote matrices), and noticing my neighbors in the scRNA-seq community creating some rad tooling, algos and standards under @scverse.bsky.social team...
Hey #collectiveintelligence #delibwave #democracy and #plurality people, I would like to direct your attention to the reason for my latent excitement, buried in this weekend's high drama of #YourParty: www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Why excitement, you ask? Three reasons:
Why excitement, you ask? Three reasons:
December 1, 2025 at 4:15 AM
Hey #collectiveintelligence #delibwave #democracy and #plurality people, I would like to direct your attention to the reason for my latent excitement, buried in this weekend's high drama of #YourParty: www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Why excitement, you ask? Three reasons:
Why excitement, you ask? Three reasons:
I had the pleasure to speak about pol.is and #polislike tools and processes on a panel running parallel to the founding conference of Your Party this weekend. In case you missed it, it's the first mainstream socialist party in UK in 100 years. Will share more later! nitter.net/InacioVieira...
nitter.net
December 1, 2025 at 4:04 AM
I had the pleasure to speak about pol.is and #polislike tools and processes on a panel running parallel to the founding conference of Your Party this weekend. In case you missed it, it's the first mainstream socialist party in UK in 100 years. Will share more later! nitter.net/InacioVieira...
How I think of the potential of #UBI for people doing social and #community work:
it's like a system that says "You are not too much. I will look after you. You will not fall through the bottom of the world as you try to repair it."
it's like a system that says "You are not too much. I will look after you. You will not fall through the bottom of the world as you try to repair it."
November 26, 2025 at 7:15 PM
How I think of the potential of #UBI for people doing social and #community work:
it's like a system that says "You are not too much. I will look after you. You will not fall through the bottom of the world as you try to repair it."
it's like a system that says "You are not too much. I will look after you. You will not fall through the bottom of the world as you try to repair it."
We're all just living through some long bets, aren't we?
Assuming so, any guesses what the bet is?
Assuming so, any guesses what the bet is?
November 25, 2025 at 10:07 PM
We're all just living through some long bets, aren't we?
Assuming so, any guesses what the bet is?
Assuming so, any guesses what the bet is?
Preach, Gustave le Bon (b. 1841): "In consequence of the purely destructive nature of their power, crowds act like microbes which hasten the dissolution of enfeebled or dead bodies. When the structure of a civilisation is rotten, it is always the masses that bring its downfall.."
November 25, 2025 at 4:22 PM
Preach, Gustave le Bon (b. 1841): "In consequence of the purely destructive nature of their power, crowds act like microbes which hasten the dissolution of enfeebled or dead bodies. When the structure of a civilisation is rotten, it is always the masses that bring its downfall.."
More thoughts on the future of pol.is -like tools & spiking human networks.
www.linkedin.com/posts/patcon...
(Ugh why am i on linkedin)
www.linkedin.com/posts/patcon...
(Ugh why am i on linkedin)
More thoughts on the future of polislike tools, and spiking human networks.
## Full Heart Machine Learning
What if we ask for participants to only offer reaction votes of agree or disagree if they… ...
More thoughts on the future of polislike tools, and spiking human networks.
## Full Heart Machine Learning
What if we ask for participants to only offer reaction votes of agree or disagree if they "...
www.linkedin.com
November 24, 2025 at 4:20 PM
More thoughts on the future of pol.is -like tools & spiking human networks.
www.linkedin.com/posts/patcon...
(Ugh why am i on linkedin)
www.linkedin.com/posts/patcon...
(Ugh why am i on linkedin)
Is there a word for someone who just wants to be... kinda like a housewife
but... instead of staying home to take care of the kids, they feel in their bones that they were put here to stay home (and stretch resources) to try to take care of the world? Can that pls be a role?
but... instead of staying home to take care of the kids, they feel in their bones that they were put here to stay home (and stretch resources) to try to take care of the world? Can that pls be a role?
November 23, 2025 at 8:45 PM
Is there a word for someone who just wants to be... kinda like a housewife
but... instead of staying home to take care of the kids, they feel in their bones that they were put here to stay home (and stretch resources) to try to take care of the world? Can that pls be a role?
but... instead of staying home to take care of the kids, they feel in their bones that they were put here to stay home (and stretch resources) to try to take care of the world? Can that pls be a role?
Wow. I'm only on episode 2, but Pluribus is so wild. It's like... cooperation porn.
It's strange to say, but honestly, it kinda makes me... hopeful? like "yeah, we could just do things, couldn't we?". Is that how it EVER felt to be in society together? #collectiveintelligence
It's strange to say, but honestly, it kinda makes me... hopeful? like "yeah, we could just do things, couldn't we?". Is that how it EVER felt to be in society together? #collectiveintelligence
November 23, 2025 at 5:28 PM
Wow. I'm only on episode 2, but Pluribus is so wild. It's like... cooperation porn.
It's strange to say, but honestly, it kinda makes me... hopeful? like "yeah, we could just do things, couldn't we?". Is that how it EVER felt to be in society together? #collectiveintelligence
It's strange to say, but honestly, it kinda makes me... hopeful? like "yeah, we could just do things, couldn't we?". Is that how it EVER felt to be in society together? #collectiveintelligence
holy moly! aw heck, I think my new favourite thing is @audreyt.org getting 2h of pre- #MozFest media/presentation coaching on the official Public Digital Innovation Space (PDIS) account back in 2017... haha yaaaay @joedolce.bsky.social <3 www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzmx...
2017-10-10 Media training with Joe Dolce
YouTube video by PDIS
www.youtube.com
November 23, 2025 at 12:31 AM
holy moly! aw heck, I think my new favourite thing is @audreyt.org getting 2h of pre- #MozFest media/presentation coaching on the official Public Digital Innovation Space (PDIS) account back in 2017... haha yaaaay @joedolce.bsky.social <3 www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzmx...
Doing some reading this morning and thinking about: #polarization, small-world networks, strange bridges, echo chambers where information has too much coherence, recovery from ecological disturbance events, trolling/irony as anti-fragile defence responses to network stress...
November 22, 2025 at 4:51 PM
Doing some reading this morning and thinking about: #polarization, small-world networks, strange bridges, echo chambers where information has too much coherence, recovery from ecological disturbance events, trolling/irony as anti-fragile defence responses to network stress...
@iagobam.bsky.social hi! It was nice to meet you on the patio as Democracy R&D was ending :)
November 21, 2025 at 9:21 PM
@iagobam.bsky.social hi! It was nice to meet you on the patio as Democracy R&D was ending :)
Reading a paper on anonymity & the curse of dimensionality. Also thinking about pol.is -like perspective maps, & a game mechanic I've been calling "adversarial empathy"..
I wonder if deep empathy (resolving groups into their diversity) is inherently deanonymizing..
#polislike #delibwave #democracy
I wonder if deep empathy (resolving groups into their diversity) is inherently deanonymizing..
#polislike #delibwave #democracy
vldb.org
November 15, 2025 at 3:44 PM
Reading a paper on anonymity & the curse of dimensionality. Also thinking about pol.is -like perspective maps, & a game mechanic I've been calling "adversarial empathy"..
I wonder if deep empathy (resolving groups into their diversity) is inherently deanonymizing..
#polislike #delibwave #democracy
I wonder if deep empathy (resolving groups into their diversity) is inherently deanonymizing..
#polislike #delibwave #democracy
Listening to Su Lynn Myat & @biancawylie.com talk about tech #governance. But asking what is it to regulate AI got me reflecting.
Maybe regulating AI is in essence regulating the essence of language and intelligence most generally: surprise. Is it possible or desirable to try to regulate surprise?
Maybe regulating AI is in essence regulating the essence of language and intelligence most generally: surprise. Is it possible or desirable to try to regulate surprise?
November 12, 2025 at 12:09 AM
Listening to Su Lynn Myat & @biancawylie.com talk about tech #governance. But asking what is it to regulate AI got me reflecting.
Maybe regulating AI is in essence regulating the essence of language and intelligence most generally: surprise. Is it possible or desirable to try to regulate surprise?
Maybe regulating AI is in essence regulating the essence of language and intelligence most generally: surprise. Is it possible or desirable to try to regulate surprise?