Todd Austin
@tlaustin.bsky.social
Instructional technologist | ex grad student in politics of ex-USSR | EDMD | SARS2-aware | Eastman-trained cellist
I love this. Bruce is a good dude. ✊🏼
An American volunteer fighting with Ukraine’s 63rd Mechanized Brigade “Steel Lions” captured four Russian soldiers in Serebrianskyi Forest, Luhansk Oblast.
American fighter in Ukrainian ranks politely captures four Russians
An American volunteer fighting with Ukraine’s 63rd Mechanized Brigade “Steel Lions” captured four Russian soldiers in Serebrianskyi Forest, Luhansk Oblast, in footage released by the brigade on Telegr...
english.nv.ua
November 20, 2025 at 8:14 PM
I love this. Bruce is a good dude. ✊🏼
Reposted by Todd Austin
Bellingcat’s contact email has always been a magnet for people with fairly unusual views; paranoid delusions, sprawling conspiracies, the works. But recently, the pattern has shifted, we’re seeing more and more emails clearly written with ChatGPT.
November 19, 2025 at 2:18 PM
Bellingcat’s contact email has always been a magnet for people with fairly unusual views; paranoid delusions, sprawling conspiracies, the works. But recently, the pattern has shifted, we’re seeing more and more emails clearly written with ChatGPT.
Reposted by Todd Austin
A cartoon by Ali Solomon. #NewYorkerCartoons
November 9, 2025 at 2:00 AM
A cartoon by Ali Solomon. #NewYorkerCartoons
The distraction I didn’t know I needed - thanks @benfeist.bsky.social !
👨🚀 For over 25 years now, there has always been someone in space, orbiting our planet every 90 minutes aboard the International Space Station 🛰️.
Now you can relive every day of this incredible journey thanks to Ben Feist and David Charney 🔗 issinrealtime.org
Now you can relive every day of this incredible journey thanks to Ben Feist and David Charney 🔗 issinrealtime.org
ISS in Real Time
Explore 25 years onboard the International Space Station.
issinrealtime.org
November 3, 2025 at 8:47 AM
The distraction I didn’t know I needed - thanks @benfeist.bsky.social !
Reposted by Todd Austin
"I DON'T NEED YOU TO FUCKING REWRITE WHAT I'VE JUST WRITTEN!"
October 28, 2025 at 10:46 AM
"I DON'T NEED YOU TO FUCKING REWRITE WHAT I'VE JUST WRITTEN!"
Reposted by Todd Austin
Reposted by Todd Austin
A Kyiv school declared a week of mourning after 12-year-old student Oleksandra Polishchuk was killed in a Russian strike.
She died at home during the attack, while her mother was hospitalized in critical condition.
She died at home during the attack, while her mother was hospitalized in critical condition.
September 28, 2025 at 10:35 PM
A Kyiv school declared a week of mourning after 12-year-old student Oleksandra Polishchuk was killed in a Russian strike.
She died at home during the attack, while her mother was hospitalized in critical condition.
She died at home during the attack, while her mother was hospitalized in critical condition.
Reposted by Todd Austin
Think of an economy as like baking a cake. H1-B visas exist so that if you're out of a specific ingredient, you can Instacart it and keep baking. Add a $100k delivery charge and you'll choose to:
1. Quit baking; or
2. Use an inferior recipe; or
3. Import cake instead of making it
1. Quit baking; or
2. Use an inferior recipe; or
3. Import cake instead of making it
September 20, 2025 at 11:06 PM
Think of an economy as like baking a cake. H1-B visas exist so that if you're out of a specific ingredient, you can Instacart it and keep baking. Add a $100k delivery charge and you'll choose to:
1. Quit baking; or
2. Use an inferior recipe; or
3. Import cake instead of making it
1. Quit baking; or
2. Use an inferior recipe; or
3. Import cake instead of making it
Pull the *cord*, not chord, @thr.com …
September 20, 2025 at 5:01 AM
Pull the *cord*, not chord, @thr.com …
I’m wondering if this comment is meant to be ironic. Of what use is high-visibility clothing when drivers aren’t even looking up from their phones? 🤔
September 1, 2025 at 4:34 PM
I’m wondering if this comment is meant to be ironic. Of what use is high-visibility clothing when drivers aren’t even looking up from their phones? 🤔
@nytimes.com So I just opened today’s NYT and found that you’re killing NYT For Kids. The most important question is the one your ‘We Have News’ piece doesn’t answer. Why? You tell us how important it is, and my kid loves it, but you don’t tell us why you’re walking away. Why?
August 31, 2025 at 5:38 PM
@nytimes.com So I just opened today’s NYT and found that you’re killing NYT For Kids. The most important question is the one your ‘We Have News’ piece doesn’t answer. Why? You tell us how important it is, and my kid loves it, but you don’t tell us why you’re walking away. Why?
Reposted by Todd Austin
A "pig butchering" scam might open with a simple “Hi” or some good-natured confusion about why your phone number seems to be in the person’s address book.
It's the first step in a process intended to drain your bank account and ruin your life.
(Published Sept. 2022)
It's the first step in a process intended to drain your bank account and ruin your life.
(Published Sept. 2022)
What’s a Pig Butchering Scam? Here’s How to Avoid Falling Victim to One.
Thousands have lost huge sums after being lured into fraudulent online investment schemes by seemingly attractive strangers who strike up online conversations with them. Here’s a guide to spotting the...
www.propublica.org
August 30, 2025 at 12:00 PM
A "pig butchering" scam might open with a simple “Hi” or some good-natured confusion about why your phone number seems to be in the person’s address book.
It's the first step in a process intended to drain your bank account and ruin your life.
(Published Sept. 2022)
It's the first step in a process intended to drain your bank account and ruin your life.
(Published Sept. 2022)
Reposted by Todd Austin
Preventing heart disease, my recommendations
gift link wapo.st/4ofjsZ8
gift link wapo.st/4ofjsZ8
Guest column | I’m a cardiologist. Here are 10 science-based ways to prevent heart disease.
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. But about 80 percent of cases are considered preventable.
wapo.st
July 28, 2025 at 1:45 PM
Preventing heart disease, my recommendations
gift link wapo.st/4ofjsZ8
gift link wapo.st/4ofjsZ8
Reposted by Todd Austin
If you know anyone with Emery-Dreifuss Muscular Dystrophy (#EDMD) or want to support research on this disease, a patient family we have been working with for many years has started a new foundation, cureEDMD, to raise awareness for this devastating disease: www.cureedmd.org
Please share widely!
Please share widely!
cureEDMD
cureEDMD is a patient and family-led, scientist-supported foundation to advance research into a treatment or cure for Emery-Dreifuss Muscular Dystrophy (EDMD)
www.cureedmd.org
July 18, 2025 at 4:14 PM
If you know anyone with Emery-Dreifuss Muscular Dystrophy (#EDMD) or want to support research on this disease, a patient family we have been working with for many years has started a new foundation, cureEDMD, to raise awareness for this devastating disease: www.cureedmd.org
Please share widely!
Please share widely!
ElectroCity is available to run on Flashpoint for Windows at flashpointarchive.org
June 19, 2025 at 5:57 PM
ElectroCity is available to run on Flashpoint for Windows at flashpointarchive.org
Reposted by Todd Austin
As much as I appreciate ProPublica doing a review of the prompts here….
taking a step back, all this code is doing is uploading a file to an LLM and asking it to do “magic”.
This isn’t groundbreaking technical work, it’s a farce attempting to look smart.
taking a step back, all this code is doing is uploading a file to an LLM and asking it to do “magic”.
This isn’t groundbreaking technical work, it’s a farce attempting to look smart.
I learned so much talking to ProPublica for this story. It's a telling window into how Trump/DOGE are using AI to shrink the government and the consequences. And even though this use is particularly ham-handed, it's a good example of the limitations of the technology more generally.🧵 @propublica.org
Inside the AI Prompts DOGE Used to “Munch” Contracts Related to Veterans’ Health
Experts who reviewed the code for ProPublica found numerous and troubling flaws in the system, providing a disturbing glimpse into how the Trump administration is allowing artificial intelligence to g...
www.propublica.org
June 6, 2025 at 12:43 PM
As much as I appreciate ProPublica doing a review of the prompts here….
taking a step back, all this code is doing is uploading a file to an LLM and asking it to do “magic”.
This isn’t groundbreaking technical work, it’s a farce attempting to look smart.
taking a step back, all this code is doing is uploading a file to an LLM and asking it to do “magic”.
This isn’t groundbreaking technical work, it’s a farce attempting to look smart.
I share this particularly with @euromaidanpress.bsky.social, so that you can be reminded to add ALT text to all of the pictures you share here, particularly those of fallen soldiers so that you can label them with their names and we can know who is who.
May 15, 2025 at 8:05 PM
I share this particularly with @euromaidanpress.bsky.social, so that you can be reminded to add ALT text to all of the pictures you share here, particularly those of fallen soldiers so that you can label them with their names and we can know who is who.
Reposted by Todd Austin
Did you know Bluesky has a setting that will remind you to add alt text before posting any images?
Global Accessibility Awareness Day is a great day to help you get that set up.
Go to "Settings," then "Accessibility." Select the checkbox for "Require alt text before posting."
#GAAD #GAAD2025
Global Accessibility Awareness Day is a great day to help you get that set up.
Go to "Settings," then "Accessibility." Select the checkbox for "Require alt text before posting."
#GAAD #GAAD2025
May 15, 2025 at 7:58 PM
Reposted by Todd Austin
As we prepare to share all our great "Star Wars" memes for "May The Fourth," we can be reminded of Bluesky's setting that will remind you to add alt text before posting any images.
Go to "Settings," then "Accessibility." Select the checkbox for "Require alt text before posting."
Go to "Settings," then "Accessibility." Select the checkbox for "Require alt text before posting."
May 3, 2025 at 4:14 AM
As we prepare to share all our great "Star Wars" memes for "May The Fourth," we can be reminded of Bluesky's setting that will remind you to add alt text before posting any images.
Go to "Settings," then "Accessibility." Select the checkbox for "Require alt text before posting."
Go to "Settings," then "Accessibility." Select the checkbox for "Require alt text before posting."
Reposted by Todd Austin
April 25, 2025 at 10:43 PM
Reposted by Todd Austin
If you want to understand how cells function, you have to work out what proteins interact with — and where
https://go.nature.com/3RmUUy0
https://go.nature.com/3RmUUy0
Where do proteins go in cells? Next-generation methods map the molecules’ hidden lives
Nature - Spatial proteomics is helping biologists to uncover how cells work by mapping where proteins operate.
go.nature.com
April 20, 2025 at 12:35 PM
If you want to understand how cells function, you have to work out what proteins interact with — and where
https://go.nature.com/3RmUUy0
https://go.nature.com/3RmUUy0
Reposted by Todd Austin
The moral of the story is this: do not experiment on yourself by snorting airborne viruses into your brain. Stay in the control group.
April 15, 2025 at 3:06 AM
The moral of the story is this: do not experiment on yourself by snorting airborne viruses into your brain. Stay in the control group.
Reposted by Todd Austin
The Kelsey Museum of Archaeology and the Museum of Anthropological Archaeology are launching the Center for Community Archaeology and Heritage, which aims to promote community-engaged practices in archaeological and heritage studies. myumi.ch/rA1WZ
March 19, 2025 at 12:53 PM
The Kelsey Museum of Archaeology and the Museum of Anthropological Archaeology are launching the Center for Community Archaeology and Heritage, which aims to promote community-engaged practices in archaeological and heritage studies. myumi.ch/rA1WZ
Reposted by Todd Austin
The antiviral Ensitrelvir, already approved in Japan 🇯🇵 and Singapore 🇸🇬 , reduced the risk of confirmed Covid infection by 67% in a double-blind placebo control trial
Take 💊 within 72hrs of a household member developing symptoms
news.virginia.edu/content/new-...
Take 💊 within 72hrs of a household member developing symptoms
news.virginia.edu/content/new-...
New Drug Could Block COVID-19 Before It Starts, Study Finds
UVA School of Medicine emeritus professor Dr. Frederick G. Hayden helped design the trial and presented the results Wednesday at an international conference.
news.virginia.edu
March 14, 2025 at 11:45 PM
The antiviral Ensitrelvir, already approved in Japan 🇯🇵 and Singapore 🇸🇬 , reduced the risk of confirmed Covid infection by 67% in a double-blind placebo control trial
Take 💊 within 72hrs of a household member developing symptoms
news.virginia.edu/content/new-...
Take 💊 within 72hrs of a household member developing symptoms
news.virginia.edu/content/new-...
TIL that Ukraine has chip fabs.
🇺🇦🐝 Ukrainian company Vyriy Drone has presented the first serial batch of FPV drones made entirely of Ukrainian components.
❗️The cost of one drone is ~$720, but thanks to the localization of production, it was possible to reduce the price to a level of similar Chinese models.
❗️The cost of one drone is ~$720, but thanks to the localization of production, it was possible to reduce the price to a level of similar Chinese models.
March 15, 2025 at 3:23 PM
TIL that Ukraine has chip fabs.