Ryan Dahn
ryandahn.com
Ryan Dahn
@ryandahn.com
Editor at @physicstoday.bsky.social. Historian studying Nazi science by night. Passionate about Philadelphia urbanism, sports, and politics. All opinions my own.

https://ryandahn.com
where is he getting this 1000 years thing from???
Trump: "For 1,000 years, communism has not worked"
November 6, 2025 at 12:26 AM
Emailing with Garwin a few years ago was one of my first "wow" moments at @physicstoday.bsky.social. This is a great tribute to him—check it out!
Physicist Richard Garwin, a giant in the field, died in May 2025 at age 97. Famous for designing the first hydrogen bomb, Garwin was also a prominent adviser—and occasional critic—of the US government. Three of his close colleagues examine his career for @physicstoday.bsky.social. #physics #histSTM
Remembering Richard Garwin, physicist and science adviser
The polymath scientist leaves behind a monumental legacy in both the scientific and political realms.
physicstoday.aip.org
November 5, 2025 at 5:19 PM
Reposted by Ryan Dahn
In NJ, in VA, in NYC, it's time to get to work.

There are no permanent majorities. There are only moments of time when parties can assemble a majority of voters around a set of ideas. You have to take that moment and run as fast as you can, before the next election breaks your stride.
November 5, 2025 at 1:56 PM
More important coverage of our current slow-motion disaster from @physicstoday.bsky.social...
November 3, 2025 at 7:41 PM
really says so much about the sad state of the mainstream national media that one of the best outlets covering the current shitshow is one of the OG tech blogs, @techdirt.com...
60 Minutes Edits Donald Trump Telling Them 60 Minutes Should Edit Donald Trump Talking About How 60 Minutes Paid Him For Editing Kamala Harris
60 Minutes is under new management and things are getting stupid faster than you might expect. Last night’s episode featured President Trump, which is currently being described as “nuts.” There are…
www.techdirt.com
November 3, 2025 at 7:28 PM
Reposted by Ryan Dahn
Philadelphians, here are the Philadelphia Bar Association recommendations for judge election/retention. electqualifiedjudges.com
Judges Have Enormous Power
The Association's Commission on Judicial Selection and Retention evaluates judicial candidates to help voters make decisions about candidates for judicial office. The Commission's evaluations are base...
electqualifiedjudges.com
November 3, 2025 at 5:33 PM
serious question: was The Great Gatsby the first piece of art that was intended to be deeply critical of a time and place but has consistently been misread as a celebration of said time and place?

many such examples: Wolf of Wall Street, Goodfellas, etc. etc.
F. Scott Fitzgerald: In my book I invented Gatsby lifestyle as a cautionary tale

The president: At long last, we have created the Gatsby lifestyle from the classic novel The Great Gatsby
November 3, 2025 at 4:25 PM
giving any credence to this whole "Trump will defund NYC if it elects Zohran" thing is ridiculous and plays into his preferred image: that of a strongman dictator who personally decides who gets money and how much.
Crazy how much some media has normalized the idea that voters are taking a risk if they elect governors/mayors who will defy Trump. That he’ll threaten their funding, etc.

Try to imagine, say. Greg Abbott being asked if he’s worried that Biden will punish Texas over his lawsuits.
November 3, 2025 at 4:20 PM
This is one of the coolest things the history and library team at @aip.bsky.social is doing. If you have photos, please consider contributing! Future historians will thank you :)
Do you take snapshots of your everyday life as a physical scientist? @aip.bsky.social is soliciting photos from scientists at all career stages and disciplines from around the world to broaden its 30 000+ photo collection, which is used frequently by historians. #physics #astronomy #histSTM
Archivists seek photos of today's physical scientists
The goal of a new crowdsourcing effort is to build a more contemporary and inclusive visual record of the physical sciences community.
physicstoday.aip.org
October 31, 2025 at 4:55 PM
this is awesome! we need this in Philly so badly...
Illinois will effectively eliminate parking minimum requirements in ~all of Chicago and much of its suburbs thanks to the transit funding bill that passed last night.
Also contains parking reform! This is a preliminary map of Chicagoland based on the People Over Parking Act provision.

It would also apply downstate though!
October 31, 2025 at 3:29 PM
Reposted by Ryan Dahn
the most upsetting part about this is how it’s all obviously just for show because we are governed by the dumbest shitheads on earth who like seeing things blow up for fun
Another illegal US maritime strike—again in the Pacific.

Against a vessel allegedly operated by an unspecified "designated terrorist organization."

Four reported fatalities—dubbed w/o ID or evidence "narco-terrorists."

There's a word for premeditated killings outside of armed conflict.
October 30, 2025 at 1:33 AM
@coreyatad.com have you watched M: Son of the Century on MUBI? would love to see your thoughts about it somewhere. finished it last night and thought it was superb.
October 28, 2025 at 3:20 PM
Reposted by Ryan Dahn
Really proud of this piece, and the full report that will come out in the near future.

What we learned from early career leaders in the physical sciences is likely broadly relevant to other scholarly/scientific domains.
Interviews with early-career scientists reveal the ways that professional societies foster a sense of belonging, write @tjowens.bsky.social and Anne Marie Porter. They also provide opportunities for members to give back to the community. #physics #astronomy
A home base for your career
Professional societies can foster a sense of belonging and offer early-career scientists opportunities to give back to their community.
physicstoday.aip.org
October 24, 2025 at 8:36 PM
so we're just funding the government on bribes now?
DOD accepts anonymous $130M donation to partially cover troop pay
White House and military officials will not say who the donor is or whether the gift has been properly vetted.
www.politico.com
October 24, 2025 at 6:23 PM
Reposted by Ryan Dahn
Before last year’s election, my wife and I took our grandsons on a tour of the nation’s capital, realizing it might become quite different if Trump won. I kept thinking the symbols of democracy might turn into symbols of tyranny. We toured the White House’s East Wing. It’s being demolished now.
October 23, 2025 at 11:01 AM
gonna be honest, i still don't understand how the president literally bulldozing a good third of the White House—a literal national symbol—on a whim, with no approvals, no permits, and sketchy funding, isn't a bigger story. what is going on here???
October 23, 2025 at 5:00 PM
Reposted by Ryan Dahn
“The good news is that the next Democratic inhabitant of the White House can demolish the Trump Presidential Palace Ballroom and Casino and restore the East Wing and the rest of the White House grounds to their pre-Trump state.”

www.thebulwark.com/p/we-will-te...
We Will Tear Down the Trump Palace Ballroom and Casino
Thinking like a dissident movement.
www.thebulwark.com
October 23, 2025 at 3:09 PM
Reposted by Ryan Dahn
Any Democratic nominee who promises to tear down Trump’s gaudy monstrosities will run into a blizzard of pearl clutching “how can you insult millions of Americans like that,” as if the monstrosities were not an insult, or the millions of Americans insulted by it don’t count.

They should ignore it.
at minimum, any legitimate Dem nominee in 2028 should explicitly promise to tear down all of Trump’s gaudy monstrosities and rebuild what was there before.
Tear down the Trump Taj Mahal wing of the White House
www.lawyersgunsmoneyblog.com/2025/10/tear...
October 22, 2025 at 10:40 PM
at minimum, any legitimate Dem nominee in 2028 should explicitly promise to tear down all of Trump’s gaudy monstrosities and rebuild what was there before.
October 22, 2025 at 10:11 PM
one of the cool things about living in the year of our lord 2025 is that we get to have a Teapot Dome scandal and a Watergate every day. fun!!
October 21, 2025 at 9:07 PM
maybe the best part about watching The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly is when you're done, you inevitably listen to the soundtrack over and over again and just remember how amazing it is.
October 21, 2025 at 3:10 PM
just incredibly sad to see this institution I love being gutted...
October 16, 2025 at 8:17 PM
Reposted by Ryan Dahn
the president using the office to punish americans that didnt vote for him should really be one of the biggest scandals in americas history
Trump is upfront in saying he will use the shutdown to punish Democrats, and here are the receipts. About $27.2 billion cut from Dem districts compared to about $0.7 billion in GOP districts.
We all complain about the media, but need this type of in-depth journalism.
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
Trump Halts Billions in Grants for Democratic Districts During Shutdown (Gift Article)
The Trump administration has frozen or canceled nearly $28 billion primarily located in Democratic-led districts, according to an analysis by The New York Times.
www.nytimes.com
October 15, 2025 at 9:45 PM
speaking of Red Dead 2, it would really be nice if Rockstar finally released the long-rumored next-gen upgrade for the game...
October 15, 2025 at 3:15 PM