Matt Shipman (he/him)
@shiplives.bsky.social
Writer. Comms person.
Mostly sci/tech/health.
Sometimes music/food/culture.
Lifelong Eagles fan from the South. (We exist!)
Let’s make the South better, y’all.
Stuff I write for fun here: https://medium.com/@shiplives
Mostly sci/tech/health.
Sometimes music/food/culture.
Lifelong Eagles fan from the South. (We exist!)
Let’s make the South better, y’all.
Stuff I write for fun here: https://medium.com/@shiplives
Pinned
Was recently thinking about a sort of hierarchy of needs that speaks to this moment.
1) Survive. Nothing happens without this.
2) Hope. Believe in a better future.
3) Plan. What can I do to help make that future a reality (even a small thing)?
4) Act. Put your plan in motion.
1) Survive. Nothing happens without this.
2) Hope. Believe in a better future.
3) Plan. What can I do to help make that future a reality (even a small thing)?
4) Act. Put your plan in motion.
Reposted by Matt Shipman (he/him)
Right, the answer isn't to abandon the party to these weasels.
The answer is to flood the party with people who will take it over and transform it.
The answer is to flood the party with people who will take it over and transform it.
Hey, a lot of people are talking about changing affiliation from Democratic to Independent.
Let me tell you why you shouldn’t do that in Colorado.
One of the main ways to get a primary challenge candidate on a ballot is to caucus for your party. You need to be registered as a Dem to caucus.
Let me tell you why you shouldn’t do that in Colorado.
One of the main ways to get a primary challenge candidate on a ballot is to caucus for your party. You need to be registered as a Dem to caucus.
November 10, 2025 at 4:49 PM
Right, the answer isn't to abandon the party to these weasels.
The answer is to flood the party with people who will take it over and transform it.
The answer is to flood the party with people who will take it over and transform it.
It is readily apparent that most lawmakers in the United States have never been poor; do not know any poor people; have never actually had a conversation with a poor person; and have no clear understanding of how poverty actually affects people’s health and opportunities.
November 11, 2025 at 1:03 AM
It is readily apparent that most lawmakers in the United States have never been poor; do not know any poor people; have never actually had a conversation with a poor person; and have no clear understanding of how poverty actually affects people’s health and opportunities.
Federal policy decisions have led to questions about the upcoming holidays. Will toys be more expensive? Decorations? Christmas trees? We talked with a supply chain expert to get some insights. It's interesting. (I wasn't expecting all the Christmas tree stuff!)
news.ncsu.edu/2025/11/will...
news.ncsu.edu/2025/11/will...
Will Tariffs Impact Your Holiday Shopping?
news.ncsu.edu
November 10, 2025 at 8:18 PM
Federal policy decisions have led to questions about the upcoming holidays. Will toys be more expensive? Decorations? Christmas trees? We talked with a supply chain expert to get some insights. It's interesting. (I wasn't expecting all the Christmas tree stuff!)
news.ncsu.edu/2025/11/will...
news.ncsu.edu/2025/11/will...
Let's say you made a special material to make safer railcars for transporting Hazmat. How do you test it?
By going to the desert and slamming into it with 300,000 pounds. (Of course there's video.)
#Transportation #Engineering 🧪
news.ncsu.edu/2025/11/stud...
By going to the desert and slamming into it with 300,000 pounds. (Of course there's video.)
#Transportation #Engineering 🧪
news.ncsu.edu/2025/11/stud...
Study: Composite Metal Foam Could Lead to Safer Hazmat Transportation
Composite metal foam can withstand tremendous force – enough to punch a hole in a railroad tank car – at much lower weight than solid steel.
news.ncsu.edu
November 10, 2025 at 8:09 PM
Let's say you made a special material to make safer railcars for transporting Hazmat. How do you test it?
By going to the desert and slamming into it with 300,000 pounds. (Of course there's video.)
#Transportation #Engineering 🧪
news.ncsu.edu/2025/11/stud...
By going to the desert and slamming into it with 300,000 pounds. (Of course there's video.)
#Transportation #Engineering 🧪
news.ncsu.edu/2025/11/stud...
I still think it's neat that I can wake up in snowy Chicago, and be home in autumnal North Carolina at lunch time. Cool.
It was real, #SciWri25! Thanks to all who made the trip.
Just for kicks, have a free coloring book of arthropods.
It's fun. You deserve it.🧪
news.ncsu.edu/2021/01/arth...
It was real, #SciWri25! Thanks to all who made the trip.
Just for kicks, have a free coloring book of arthropods.
It's fun. You deserve it.🧪
news.ncsu.edu/2021/01/arth...
If You Love Insects and Other Arthropods, We Have the Coloring Book for You
Check out the free coloring book with the best name ever: "Arthropods!"
news.ncsu.edu
November 10, 2025 at 6:36 PM
I still think it's neat that I can wake up in snowy Chicago, and be home in autumnal North Carolina at lunch time. Cool.
It was real, #SciWri25! Thanks to all who made the trip.
Just for kicks, have a free coloring book of arthropods.
It's fun. You deserve it.🧪
news.ncsu.edu/2021/01/arth...
It was real, #SciWri25! Thanks to all who made the trip.
Just for kicks, have a free coloring book of arthropods.
It's fun. You deserve it.🧪
news.ncsu.edu/2021/01/arth...
This is just pathetic. The thread is worth a read. It’s as if the NYT is trying to humiliate itself.
November 10, 2025 at 2:27 PM
This is just pathetic. The thread is worth a read. It’s as if the NYT is trying to humiliate itself.
Reposted by Matt Shipman (he/him)
The centrists in the Senate Democratic caucus saw that the country was rallying to the party in the 2025 elections and resolved that they would do anything they could to kill that momentum.
November 10, 2025 at 12:52 AM
The centrists in the Senate Democratic caucus saw that the country was rallying to the party in the 2025 elections and resolved that they would do anything they could to kill that momentum.
Reposted by Matt Shipman (he/him)
What pisses me off the most is that the Senate has just disenfranchised the millions of Democrats who actually showed up to vote. Not the swing voters, or the 3rd of Americans who can’t be bothered.
The people who actually did care enough to vote. The Senate just told those voters to Fuck Off.
The people who actually did care enough to vote. The Senate just told those voters to Fuck Off.
November 10, 2025 at 12:56 AM
What pisses me off the most is that the Senate has just disenfranchised the millions of Democrats who actually showed up to vote. Not the swing voters, or the 3rd of Americans who can’t be bothered.
The people who actually did care enough to vote. The Senate just told those voters to Fuck Off.
The people who actually did care enough to vote. The Senate just told those voters to Fuck Off.
Reposted by Matt Shipman (he/him)
People need to understand that Chicago is a preview, not a culmination.
I have been actively watching contracts and surge funding over the last few days and what I would say to my friends in Baltimore is “be absolutely ready, right now.”
ICE poised to ramp up raids in Baltimore by Thanksgiving
The Trump administration has rush-ordered infrastructure to conduct raids, abduct residents, and detain people for months.
open.substack.com
November 9, 2025 at 1:51 PM
People need to understand that Chicago is a preview, not a culmination.
Reposted by Matt Shipman (he/him)
It was a privilege to talk about an important issue with this remarkable group of people. 🧪
How are science writers coping with the unprecedented assault on science and what is the path ahead? Was honored to discuss this at #SciWri25 plenary with @shiplives.bsky.social @jeanna.bsky.social and Erin Podolak. Missed @michellejewell.bsky.social who still contributed much from afar.
November 9, 2025 at 5:09 PM
It was a privilege to talk about an important issue with this remarkable group of people. 🧪
It was a privilege to talk about an important issue with this remarkable group of people. 🧪
How are science writers coping with the unprecedented assault on science and what is the path ahead? Was honored to discuss this at #SciWri25 plenary with @shiplives.bsky.social @jeanna.bsky.social and Erin Podolak. Missed @michellejewell.bsky.social who still contributed much from afar.
November 9, 2025 at 5:09 PM
It was a privilege to talk about an important issue with this remarkable group of people. 🧪
#sciwri2025 - the hashtag for the State of Science Under Trump — And What It Means For Science Writers session is #SciWriSOS.
November 9, 2025 at 2:59 PM
#sciwri2025 - the hashtag for the State of Science Under Trump — And What It Means For Science Writers session is #SciWriSOS.
Reposted by Matt Shipman (he/him)
I honestly don’t get the value of this company. They hoover up energy and water. Their product constantly gets things wrong and, in extreme cases, coaches people into suicide.
And it’s all built on what seems to be malicious and vast intellectual property theft.
What does OpenAI offer the world?
And it’s all built on what seems to be malicious and vast intellectual property theft.
What does OpenAI offer the world?
“authors & publishers who filed a lawsuit against the Sam Altman-led firm have secured access to internal Slack messages… discussing the mass deletion of a pirated books dataset… A NY district court ordered OpenAI to hand over the communications regarding data deletion”
futurism.com/artificial-i...
futurism.com/artificial-i...
OpenAI in Danger After Authors Suing It Gain Access to Its Internal Slack Messages
Authors and publishers, who are suing OpenAI, secured access to internal Slack messages and emails discussing the deletion of pirated books.
futurism.com
November 9, 2025 at 7:35 AM
I honestly don’t get the value of this company. They hoover up energy and water. Their product constantly gets things wrong and, in extreme cases, coaches people into suicide.
And it’s all built on what seems to be malicious and vast intellectual property theft.
What does OpenAI offer the world?
And it’s all built on what seems to be malicious and vast intellectual property theft.
What does OpenAI offer the world?
Reposted by Matt Shipman (he/him)
Between the Islamophobia, the anti-Semitism, the racism, and the homophobia -- it must be so bizarre to be afraid of basically everyone, all the time
Pure loser shit
Pure loser shit
Tuberville: “We just saw what happened in NY. We lost NY. It will be completely Muslim in 3-4 years. That’s what they want. And it’s going to spread throughout the country.”
November 8, 2025 at 8:14 PM
Between the Islamophobia, the anti-Semitism, the racism, and the homophobia -- it must be so bizarre to be afraid of basically everyone, all the time
Pure loser shit
Pure loser shit
Reposted by Matt Shipman (he/him)
"Criminals posing as US immigration officers have carried out robberies, kidnappings, and sexual assaults in several states" according to an FBI bulletin.
Which, of course, gives ICE cover to commit the same crimes.
"It wasn't us, it was different thugs, dressing up as us."
Which, of course, gives ICE cover to commit the same crimes.
"It wasn't us, it was different thugs, dressing up as us."
FBI Warns of Criminals Posing as ICE, Urges Agents to ID Themselves
In a bulletin to law enforcement agencies, the FBI said criminal impersonators are exploiting ICE’s image and urged nationwide coordination to distinguish real operations from fakes.
www.wired.com
November 6, 2025 at 2:33 AM
"Criminals posing as US immigration officers have carried out robberies, kidnappings, and sexual assaults in several states" according to an FBI bulletin.
Which, of course, gives ICE cover to commit the same crimes.
"It wasn't us, it was different thugs, dressing up as us."
Which, of course, gives ICE cover to commit the same crimes.
"It wasn't us, it was different thugs, dressing up as us."
I, too, thought about what Sharon would have written. I’m glad this exists.
As an aside: there are many wonderful health/science reporters working today. But, boy howdy, Sharon was awfully darn good.
As an aside: there are many wonderful health/science reporters working today. But, boy howdy, Sharon was awfully darn good.
A Sharon Begley byline, almost 5 years after her death.
Upon hearing the news James Watson had died, a STAT reporter said in our Slack, "I wish I could read what Sharon would have written."
Incredible news: Sharon in fact did pre-write a Watson obit. And it is masterful and excoriating.
🧪🧬🧫
Upon hearing the news James Watson had died, a STAT reporter said in our Slack, "I wish I could read what Sharon would have written."
Incredible news: Sharon in fact did pre-write a Watson obit. And it is masterful and excoriating.
🧪🧬🧫
James Watson, dead at 97, was a scientific legend and a pariah among his peers
James Watson, the co-discoverer of the structure of DNA who died Thursday at 97, was a scientific legend and a pariah among his peers.
www.statnews.com
November 9, 2025 at 5:23 AM
I, too, thought about what Sharon would have written. I’m glad this exists.
As an aside: there are many wonderful health/science reporters working today. But, boy howdy, Sharon was awfully darn good.
As an aside: there are many wonderful health/science reporters working today. But, boy howdy, Sharon was awfully darn good.
Why Does Gen Z Love So Many Albums That Are Great?
November 9, 2025 at 5:01 AM
Why Does Gen Z Love So Many Albums That Are Great?
Reposted by Matt Shipman (he/him)
So it turns out... the US air travel system was incredibly, deeply dependent on federal funding to just run day-to-day all this time, to the benefit of private airline shareholders, when everyone thinks that state-run trains are leeching off the government. Weird!
November 9, 2025 at 12:10 AM
So it turns out... the US air travel system was incredibly, deeply dependent on federal funding to just run day-to-day all this time, to the benefit of private airline shareholders, when everyone thinks that state-run trains are leeching off the government. Weird!
I did quite well on @jamesian.bsky.social’s #sciwri25 puzzle…
Wordle puzzle created by jamesian 1/6
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
www.nytimes.com/games/create...
Wordle puzzle created by jamesian 1/6
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
www.nytimes.com/games/create...
Wordle Puzzle Created By jamesian
Choose a word for friends to guess, then share your own puzzle.
www.nytimes.com
November 8, 2025 at 6:37 PM
I did quite well on @jamesian.bsky.social’s #sciwri25 puzzle…
Wordle puzzle created by jamesian 1/6
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
www.nytimes.com/games/create...
Wordle puzzle created by jamesian 1/6
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
www.nytimes.com/games/create...
WTF
Immigration Agents Arrest Man in L.A. Raid and Drive Off With His Toddler www.nytimes.com/2025/11/07/u...
Immigration Agents Arrest Man in L.A. Raid and Drive Off With His Toddler
www.nytimes.com
November 8, 2025 at 12:19 PM
WTF
This is amazing.
The relevant text, plus a link to the full interview:
From the TrueAnon community on Reddit: Zohran’s dad, Mahmood, learned about Marx from an FBI interrogation
Posted by scarab-33 - 1,753 votes and 65 comments
www.reddit.com
November 7, 2025 at 9:29 PM
This is amazing.
Reposted by Matt Shipman (he/him)
Zohran Mamdani was the right amount of online
New York voters chose reality over AI slop.
www.theverge.com
November 5, 2025 at 2:41 PM
Statewide races make headlines.
But the result I found most promising (and surprising) was the number of seats Democrats gained in the Virginia House of Delegates. They held a slim 51-49 majority going into the election. They appear to have flipped at *least* a dozen seats. Remarkable.
But the result I found most promising (and surprising) was the number of seats Democrats gained in the Virginia House of Delegates. They held a slim 51-49 majority going into the election. They appear to have flipped at *least* a dozen seats. Remarkable.
November 5, 2025 at 1:41 PM
Statewide races make headlines.
But the result I found most promising (and surprising) was the number of seats Democrats gained in the Virginia House of Delegates. They held a slim 51-49 majority going into the election. They appear to have flipped at *least* a dozen seats. Remarkable.
But the result I found most promising (and surprising) was the number of seats Democrats gained in the Virginia House of Delegates. They held a slim 51-49 majority going into the election. They appear to have flipped at *least* a dozen seats. Remarkable.