Dr. Taylor Loy
@tayloraloy.bsky.social
Virginia Tech Postdoc (STS), nuclear energy/nonpro. Former SRO instructor nuke worker. he/him. #TritiumMatters
Dissertation:
https://hdl.handle.net/10919/120638
FAS Day One 2025:
https://fas.org/publication/fusion-energy-leadership-tritium-capacity/
Dissertation:
https://hdl.handle.net/10919/120638
FAS Day One 2025:
https://fas.org/publication/fusion-energy-leadership-tritium-capacity/
Pinned
Dr. Taylor Loy
@tayloraloy.bsky.social
· Aug 10
*PhD-level intelligence intensifies*
Reposted by Dr. Taylor Loy
NukeSky where the fusion people at
February 17, 2026 at 11:07 PM
NukeSky where the fusion people at
Reposted by Dr. Taylor Loy
Worth noting that had the US ratified the comprehensive test ban treaty and had it entered into force, US could request a challenge inspection and gain access to the site. Sadly, US, China, Russia and others have left the carefully negotiated agreement unratified and in limbo.
NEW: The U.S. has provided fresh details of what it alleges was an explosive nuclear test carried out by China in June of 2020.
Key points:
✅ Test was observed by a remote seismic station in Kazakhstan.
✅Yield could have been in the hundreds of tons.
BUT...
www.npr.org/2026/02/17/n...
Key points:
✅ Test was observed by a remote seismic station in Kazakhstan.
✅Yield could have been in the hundreds of tons.
BUT...
www.npr.org/2026/02/17/n...
U.S. releases new details on alleged secret Chinese nuclear test
At a event in Washington D.C., A U.S. official said a remote earthquake in 2020 was caused by a Chinese nuclear test.
www.npr.org
February 17, 2026 at 7:40 PM
Worth noting that had the US ratified the comprehensive test ban treaty and had it entered into force, US could request a challenge inspection and gain access to the site. Sadly, US, China, Russia and others have left the carefully negotiated agreement unratified and in limbo.
Reposted by Dr. Taylor Loy
Slezkine and Shifrinson argue that the way to peace in the Russo-Ukraine war is de jure recognition of a new international border along the current front line. This argument is flawed. A 🧵: 1/8
“As part of a durable peace settlement, it is in the interests of Ukraine, Europe, and the United States to draw a new international border roughly coinciding with the final line of control,” argue Peter Slezkine and Joshua Shifrinson.
The Price of Peace in Ukraine
How accepting a new border could end the war.
www.foreignaffairs.com
February 17, 2026 at 4:08 PM
Slezkine and Shifrinson argue that the way to peace in the Russo-Ukraine war is de jure recognition of a new international border along the current front line. This argument is flawed. A 🧵: 1/8
Reposted by Dr. Taylor Loy
Reposted by Dr. Taylor Loy
Not entirely correct Judah, we explicitly don't say "existential threat to France", we say "vital interests", it has always been broader than just the existence of France.
I think it has to do with doctrine more than deployment. For now France's doctrine is to use nukes only in case of an existential threat to France, not Europe. By Europeanizing French nukes, Macron means putting Europe explicitly under the French nuclear umbrella, not putting French nukes in Europe.
February 16, 2026 at 4:47 PM
Not entirely correct Judah, we explicitly don't say "existential threat to France", we say "vital interests", it has always been broader than just the existence of France.
Reposted by Dr. Taylor Loy
My basic thesis about allied proliferation risk at this moment is that we'll see a lot more deliberate latency-seeking (and the odds of proliferation over longer time horizons have grown). Latency confers bargaining advantages with a post-Trump US (in addition to hedging durable America First-ism).
February 16, 2026 at 9:58 PM
My basic thesis about allied proliferation risk at this moment is that we'll see a lot more deliberate latency-seeking (and the odds of proliferation over longer time horizons have grown). Latency confers bargaining advantages with a post-Trump US (in addition to hedging durable America First-ism).
Reposted by Dr. Taylor Loy
''Woman, first denied a soul, then called mindless, now arisen, declared herself an entity to be reckoned.''
February 16, 2026 at 4:55 PM
''Woman, first denied a soul, then called mindless, now arisen, declared herself an entity to be reckoned.''
Confound accidental eugenics enjoyers with this one weird trick!
I'm going to be doing some short classes for the Ad Astra Institute! First up, How to Not Do Eugenics with Speculative Biology! It's a brief primer on the history of race science and eugenics with suggestions on how to avoid fantasy or science fiction racism. adastra-sf.com/courses.htm#...
February 16, 2026 at 2:29 AM
Confound accidental eugenics enjoyers with this one weird trick!
“Fun” thread on the ubiquity of the Totenkopf insignia in movies.
I really hate that Hunter S. Thompson is no longer with us because he’d have gone into dozens of tattoo parlors, probably finding the actual artist that did it, and gotten an honest “what kind of folks get Nazi tattoos” story.
I really hate that Hunter S. Thompson is no longer with us because he’d have gone into dozens of tattoo parlors, probably finding the actual artist that did it, and gotten an honest “what kind of folks get Nazi tattoos” story.
Since Tattoo Boy is in the news again, a reminder that the Nazi tattoo wasn't just a "Jolly Roger" pirate flag or some obscure symbol as Platner breezily shrugged it off. It wasn't the icon used for toxic/poisonous chemicals. It wasn't the logo of Yale University's "Scull & Bones" society. 1/
This is just an absolutely ridiculous piece of text. This writer ignores known evidence while bending over backwards to excuse Nazi symbols and racism.
February 15, 2026 at 5:32 PM
“Fun” thread on the ubiquity of the Totenkopf insignia in movies.
I really hate that Hunter S. Thompson is no longer with us because he’d have gone into dozens of tattoo parlors, probably finding the actual artist that did it, and gotten an honest “what kind of folks get Nazi tattoos” story.
I really hate that Hunter S. Thompson is no longer with us because he’d have gone into dozens of tattoo parlors, probably finding the actual artist that did it, and gotten an honest “what kind of folks get Nazi tattoos” story.
Reposted by Dr. Taylor Loy
Does the Sistine Chapel NEED all those trumpeting angels?
August 5, 2025 at 6:53 PM
Does the Sistine Chapel NEED all those trumpeting angels?
White Anglo-Saxon culture.
Red Lobster Dewgarita (2020-2022): A cocktail made with sour apple liquor, tequila, and classic Mtn Dew, served in a glass with a dusting of red sugar crystals on the rim, and a slice of lime. It cost $10, and came with a side of Red Lobster's warm cheddar bay biscuits
February 14, 2026 at 3:23 AM
White Anglo-Saxon culture.
Virginia Tech EXONERATED from being WOKE!
Military Officers note we have a NoVA campus and an excellent Science and Tech Studies program and an intensive interdisciplinary Nuclear Science Technology and Policy Grad Certificate.
STS is definitely not WOKE don’t put in the papers that we’re WOKE!
Military Officers note we have a NoVA campus and an excellent Science and Tech Studies program and an intensive interdisciplinary Nuclear Science Technology and Policy Grad Certificate.
STS is definitely not WOKE don’t put in the papers that we’re WOKE!
February 14, 2026 at 12:39 AM
Virginia Tech EXONERATED from being WOKE!
Military Officers note we have a NoVA campus and an excellent Science and Tech Studies program and an intensive interdisciplinary Nuclear Science Technology and Policy Grad Certificate.
STS is definitely not WOKE don’t put in the papers that we’re WOKE!
Military Officers note we have a NoVA campus and an excellent Science and Tech Studies program and an intensive interdisciplinary Nuclear Science Technology and Policy Grad Certificate.
STS is definitely not WOKE don’t put in the papers that we’re WOKE!
Reposted by Dr. Taylor Loy
Curiosity is something we all share. It's hard to communicate the curiosities that NSF money supports. I had a great deal of curiosity about some aspects of why chemical reactions take place the way they do. But it's hard to make chemical kinetics broadly understandable without reference to results.
February 13, 2026 at 8:11 PM
Curiosity is something we all share. It's hard to communicate the curiosities that NSF money supports. I had a great deal of curiosity about some aspects of why chemical reactions take place the way they do. But it's hard to make chemical kinetics broadly understandable without reference to results.
Reposted by Dr. Taylor Loy
This is great, but shouldn't the agents involved who submitted false statements be getting charged with perjury?
Judge dismisses charges against men accused of assaulting ICE officer in Minneapolis shooting case
A federal judge in Minneapolis has ordered the dismissal of felony assault charges against two Venezuelan men, including one shot in the leg by an immigration officer.
apnews.com
February 13, 2026 at 6:40 PM
This is great, but shouldn't the agents involved who submitted false statements be getting charged with perjury?
Reposted by Dr. Taylor Loy
AOC: "Extreme level of wealth inequality leads to social instability and drives authoritarianism, right-wing populism, and really dangerous domestic internal politics. That is a direct outcome of the failure of democracies over decades to deliver."
February 13, 2026 at 5:50 PM
AOC: "Extreme level of wealth inequality leads to social instability and drives authoritarianism, right-wing populism, and really dangerous domestic internal politics. That is a direct outcome of the failure of democracies over decades to deliver."
Reposted by Dr. Taylor Loy
here is our el paso airspace closure coverage and yes, we are as confused as you are (free link) www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
FAA Closes Airspace at El Paso for ‘Special Security Reasons’
The US Federal Aviation Administration closed the airspace around the border city of El Paso, Texas, for 10 days, in an unusual move that authorities put down to unspecified “special security reasons....
www.bloomberg.com
February 11, 2026 at 1:02 PM
here is our el paso airspace closure coverage and yes, we are as confused as you are (free link) www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Without mutual on-site verification, these limits would have to be ascertained by sensitive and secretive national technical means.
Any alleged deviation not confirmable by OSINT would require non-cleared folks to simply trust Putin and/or Trump. Hardly a reassurance from Lavrov.
Any alleged deviation not confirmable by OSINT would require non-cleared folks to simply trust Putin and/or Trump. Hardly a reassurance from Lavrov.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Moscow would abide by limits on its nuclear weapons set out in the lapsed New START agreement, so long as Washington did the same.
Lavrov Says Russia Will Stick to Nuclear Weapons Limits if U.S. Does - The Moscow Times
Russia said Wednesday it would abide by limits on its nuclear weapons set out in a lapsed arms control treaty with the United States, so long as Washington did the same.
www.themoscowtimes.com
February 11, 2026 at 1:08 PM
Without mutual on-site verification, these limits would have to be ascertained by sensitive and secretive national technical means.
Any alleged deviation not confirmable by OSINT would require non-cleared folks to simply trust Putin and/or Trump. Hardly a reassurance from Lavrov.
Any alleged deviation not confirmable by OSINT would require non-cleared folks to simply trust Putin and/or Trump. Hardly a reassurance from Lavrov.
Reposted by Dr. Taylor Loy
There is no Jesus bubble! People just need to find more use cases for Jesus. Where can you fit Jesus into your workflow?
February 10, 2026 at 9:20 PM
There is no Jesus bubble! People just need to find more use cases for Jesus. Where can you fit Jesus into your workflow?
Reposted by Dr. Taylor Loy
This diagram is in Polish, but fairly easy to understand.
The upper section is U.S. assistance for Ukraine during the Biden and Trump admin
The lower is russian drone and missile attacks during the same time frame
Tell me more about how Trump's negotiations are working.
The upper section is U.S. assistance for Ukraine during the Biden and Trump admin
The lower is russian drone and missile attacks during the same time frame
Tell me more about how Trump's negotiations are working.
February 9, 2026 at 4:06 PM
This diagram is in Polish, but fairly easy to understand.
The upper section is U.S. assistance for Ukraine during the Biden and Trump admin
The lower is russian drone and missile attacks during the same time frame
Tell me more about how Trump's negotiations are working.
The upper section is U.S. assistance for Ukraine during the Biden and Trump admin
The lower is russian drone and missile attacks during the same time frame
Tell me more about how Trump's negotiations are working.
Reposted by Dr. Taylor Loy
Next time somebody tries to get me to justify the existence of the humanities, I’ll just point out how for the past two Super Bowls we’ve all jumped online and engaged in collective semiotics and hermeneutics of the half-time show as text.
February 9, 2026 at 3:36 AM
Next time somebody tries to get me to justify the existence of the humanities, I’ll just point out how for the past two Super Bowls we’ve all jumped online and engaged in collective semiotics and hermeneutics of the half-time show as text.
I just had a great idea for adding a cherished 51st state!
February 9, 2026 at 3:12 AM
I just had a great idea for adding a cherished 51st state!
Reposted by Dr. Taylor Loy
so much of our present misery is just a giant, prolonged backlash to integration
February 8, 2026 at 5:56 PM
so much of our present misery is just a giant, prolonged backlash to integration
What a sentence! Symptomatic of the ongoing reductive imagining of MLK’s message.
“Dr. King’s call for deeper economic restructuring, a more fundamental war on poverty, was more disturbing to the comfort of northern liberals than battling Jim Crow in the distant South had been.”
Indeed
“Dr. King’s call for deeper economic restructuring, a more fundamental war on poverty, was more disturbing to the comfort of northern liberals than battling Jim Crow in the distant South had been.”
Indeed
February 8, 2026 at 4:58 PM
What a sentence! Symptomatic of the ongoing reductive imagining of MLK’s message.
“Dr. King’s call for deeper economic restructuring, a more fundamental war on poverty, was more disturbing to the comfort of northern liberals than battling Jim Crow in the distant South had been.”
Indeed
“Dr. King’s call for deeper economic restructuring, a more fundamental war on poverty, was more disturbing to the comfort of northern liberals than battling Jim Crow in the distant South had been.”
Indeed
Reposted by Dr. Taylor Loy
the man who owns Palantir, a key contractor to the US intelligence community. Under US law, Thiel, as a holder of high level security clearances, was required to report this contact to USG. It does not appear he did so.
February 6, 2026 at 9:55 PM
the man who owns Palantir, a key contractor to the US intelligence community. Under US law, Thiel, as a holder of high level security clearances, was required to report this contact to USG. It does not appear he did so.