Mike Urbancic
@urbancic.bsky.social
teaching professor of economics, faculty unionist at the University of Oregon | pedagogy, astronomy, tabletop gaming, parodies, data visualization, maps, sundry | #TeachEcon #EconSky 📈📉 | alum UArizona & Berkeley Econ | he/him
Pinned
Mike Urbancic
@urbancic.bsky.social
· Aug 11
Anyone on Bluesky a fan of astronomy, LEGO, or general nerdery?
I stumbled on a MIND-BLOWING Easter egg on the pink panel of LEGO set 21340: Tales of the Space Age.
🤯😱🤩
It’s so subtle and so *wonderful*!
Settle in for a tale within a Tale…
🧵
I stumbled on a MIND-BLOWING Easter egg on the pink panel of LEGO set 21340: Tales of the Space Age.
🤯😱🤩
It’s so subtle and so *wonderful*!
Settle in for a tale within a Tale…
🧵
Kid 3's report on her D&D session this evening with other 14/15yo when I asked if there were more dungeons or more dragons this time:
We saw a snake that was kind of dragon-like that ate the dead orphans.
The dead orphans that we killed accidentally.
Well, some more accidentally than others.
😱🤨
We saw a snake that was kind of dragon-like that ate the dead orphans.
The dead orphans that we killed accidentally.
Well, some more accidentally than others.
😱🤨
February 17, 2026 at 7:59 AM
Kid 3's report on her D&D session this evening with other 14/15yo when I asked if there were more dungeons or more dragons this time:
We saw a snake that was kind of dragon-like that ate the dead orphans.
The dead orphans that we killed accidentally.
Well, some more accidentally than others.
😱🤨
We saw a snake that was kind of dragon-like that ate the dead orphans.
The dead orphans that we killed accidentally.
Well, some more accidentally than others.
😱🤨
ingrid's boyfriend tim:
February 15, 2026 at 1:43 AM
ingrid's boyfriend tim:
One of the fun things about being married to the founder of @boutiqueacademia.bsky.social is that when we get mail from places like The National Atomic Museum Foundation it's always good news.
February 14, 2026 at 10:43 PM
One of the fun things about being married to the founder of @boutiqueacademia.bsky.social is that when we get mail from places like The National Atomic Museum Foundation it's always good news.
Reposted by Mike Urbancic
“The Trump administration’s decision to not appeal this preliminary injunction means that for the foreseeable future, they cannot use civil rights laws or federal funding as a cudgel to remake the UC in its ideological image.”
—Veena Dubal, AAUP General Counsel
—Veena Dubal, AAUP General Counsel
Trump administration drops appeal of court order blocking $1.2-billion UCLA settlement
The Trump administration dropped its appeal of a major higher education case in which a federal judge blocked its $1.2-billion settlement proposal to UCLA over alleged civil rights violations. It will...
www.latimes.com
February 14, 2026 at 5:30 PM
“The Trump administration’s decision to not appeal this preliminary injunction means that for the foreseeable future, they cannot use civil rights laws or federal funding as a cudgel to remake the UC in its ideological image.”
—Veena Dubal, AAUP General Counsel
—Veena Dubal, AAUP General Counsel
roses are red
violets are blue
today is Oregon's birthday
and Arizona's, too
violets are blue
today is Oregon's birthday
and Arizona's, too
February 14, 2026 at 7:11 PM
roses are red
violets are blue
today is Oregon's birthday
and Arizona's, too
violets are blue
today is Oregon's birthday
and Arizona's, too
Happy Friday the 13th to all the paraskevidekatriaphiles out there!
February 13, 2026 at 5:10 PM
Happy Friday the 13th to all the paraskevidekatriaphiles out there!
Everyone is (at most) 12.
The details of the Kristi Noem blanket incident are just fucking perfect
February 13, 2026 at 8:09 AM
Everyone is (at most) 12.
Reposted by Mike Urbancic
Juno is hardly an unbiased source here, NASA. “‘Guy Not As Big a Deal As He Claims,’ Says Vengeful Wife Guy Cheated On Constantly”
Jupiter is smaller and more squashed than we thought, says NASA. The Juno spacecraft reveals the gas giant isn't as big as we thought. #Space #Astronomy #Jupiter www.skyatnightmagazine.com/news/jupiter...
Jupiter is smaller and more squashed than we thought, says NASA | BBC Sky at Night Magazine
Data captured during 13 of the Juno spacecraft's flybys of Jupiter reveal the gas giant is narrower at the equator and flatter at the poles.
www.skyatnightmagazine.com
February 13, 2026 at 2:21 AM
Juno is hardly an unbiased source here, NASA. “‘Guy Not As Big a Deal As He Claims,’ Says Vengeful Wife Guy Cheated On Constantly”
Reposted by Mike Urbancic
Reposted by Mike Urbancic
Uhh...
El Paso, Texas airport, and a 10 nm radius around it (not including Mexican airspace) are closed to *all* flight operations for 10 days, starting late last night, with no prior notice to *anyone.* 1/4
February 11, 2026 at 9:48 AM
Uhh...
We're going to do "a chicken in every pot" again?
Incredible.
Incredible.
Gen Zers and millennials are swimming in student debt and may never own homes, but they’re splurging on gut-healthy juices and rotisserie chickens.
The Booming Business of Luxury Grocery Stores
A new crop of gourmet grocers has hit the city, drawing lines of trendy TikTokers, MAHA-curious health fiends and Instacart devotees who want to pop in for a treat.
on.wsj.com
February 11, 2026 at 5:42 AM
We're going to do "a chicken in every pot" again?
Incredible.
Incredible.
Reposted by Mike Urbancic
The Federal Building in downtown Eugene has reopened after a week-long closure due to a January riot, with ongoing visible damage and questions about the cause, including possible involvement by a DHS agent.
Video raises questions about DHS role in Eugene riot damage
The Eugene Federal Building has reopened after a week-long closure due to riot-related damage, with operations resuming despite visible repairs still underway.
www.kezi.com
February 11, 2026 at 2:09 AM
The Federal Building in downtown Eugene has reopened after a week-long closure due to a January riot, with ongoing visible damage and questions about the cause, including possible involvement by a DHS agent.
"sent customers 620,000 bitcoins instead of 620,000 Korean won"
👀
👀
!["South Korean crypto exhange races to recover $US40bn of bitcoin sent to customers by mistake"
(Guardian headline screenshot, 10 February 2026)
Subhead reads: "Bithumb [which I awkwardly initially read as 'Bit-hump'] has apologised for staff error that sent customers 620,000 bitcoins instead of 620,00 Korean won, equivalent to a few hundred US dollars"](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:svajrqyh6nd6rxa2ksfanobd/bafkreifzt76emex7ermzeshypfk6xybu6sjp5p5shta323ho3l4j2v6ah4@jpeg)
February 10, 2026 at 11:40 PM
"sent customers 620,000 bitcoins instead of 620,000 Korean won"
👀
👀
Ponder with me for a moment how incredibly funny it would have been if the TPUSA alternative halftime show had featured the Urinetown song "Don't Be The Bunny".
youtu.be/XgH0fOcp3T8
youtu.be/XgH0fOcp3T8
Urinetown - Don't Be The Bunny
YouTube video by Katelyn
youtu.be
February 9, 2026 at 3:47 PM
Ponder with me for a moment how incredibly funny it would have been if the TPUSA alternative halftime show had featured the Urinetown song "Don't Be The Bunny".
youtu.be/XgH0fOcp3T8
youtu.be/XgH0fOcp3T8
Is there such a thing as "divorce with prejudice"?
February 9, 2026 at 4:11 AM
Is there such a thing as "divorce with prejudice"?
SUGAR CANE IS PEOPLE!!!
February 9, 2026 at 3:52 AM
SUGAR CANE IS PEOPLE!!!
alright, no poppi at lecture
February 9, 2026 at 2:02 AM
alright, no poppi at lecture
one upside of the AI bubble bursting will be better looking and more interesting Super Bowl ads
February 9, 2026 at 1:56 AM
one upside of the AI bubble bursting will be better looking and more interesting Super Bowl ads
How much did they have to pay Phil Collins for the toilet ad?!
February 9, 2026 at 12:52 AM
How much did they have to pay Phil Collins for the toilet ad?!
haboob mentioned!
When I lived in the Bay Area a friend poo-pooed the use of the word "haboob", arguing that we didn't need a new or different word.
Having lived in the Phoenix area and Tucson for decades, I asked him if he would prefer we call them "doubleplussandstorms".
He conceded the point. 😄
Having lived in the Phoenix area and Tucson for decades, I asked him if he would prefer we call them "doubleplussandstorms".
He conceded the point. 😄
February 9, 2026 at 12:02 AM
haboob mentioned!
Without naming your job, tell me something you say over and over again at work.
"The two lowest section worksheets are dropped so that--by design!--you don't have to worry about missing one or two section meetings, for whatever reason."
"The two lowest section worksheets are dropped so that--by design!--you don't have to worry about missing one or two section meetings, for whatever reason."
Without naming your job, tell me something you say over and over again at work.
"The answer is never No, but it may take a whole lot of work to get to Yes."
"The answer is never No, but it may take a whole lot of work to get to Yes."
Without naming your job, tell me something you say over and over again at work.
"At what point do we stop admiring the problem and actually do something about it?"
"At what point do we stop admiring the problem and actually do something about it?"
February 7, 2026 at 10:23 PM
Without naming your job, tell me something you say over and over again at work.
"The two lowest section worksheets are dropped so that--by design!--you don't have to worry about missing one or two section meetings, for whatever reason."
"The two lowest section worksheets are dropped so that--by design!--you don't have to worry about missing one or two section meetings, for whatever reason."
Reposted by Mike Urbancic
I'm sorry the guy changing the rules on the fly is named what
I stand with County Executive Calvin Ball as he signs emergency legislation today prohibiting privately owned buildings from being used as ICE detention centers.
Howard County chose dignity, accountability, and its people. Tune into our event now:
bit.ly/4a2VtHw
Howard County chose dignity, accountability, and its people. Tune into our event now:
bit.ly/4a2VtHw
Redirecting...
bit.ly
February 7, 2026 at 2:34 PM
I'm sorry the guy changing the rules on the fly is named what
Reposted by Mike Urbancic
GM: Charisma check.
Mamdani: [rolls natural 20]
GM: that’s a d6 how did you
Mamdani: [direct to camera] Did you know you can check out board games at your local public library? 😊
Mamdani: [rolls natural 20]
GM: that’s a d6 how did you
Mamdani: [direct to camera] Did you know you can check out board games at your local public library? 😊
February 7, 2026 at 5:01 AM
GM: Charisma check.
Mamdani: [rolls natural 20]
GM: that’s a d6 how did you
Mamdani: [direct to camera] Did you know you can check out board games at your local public library? 😊
Mamdani: [rolls natural 20]
GM: that’s a d6 how did you
Mamdani: [direct to camera] Did you know you can check out board games at your local public library? 😊
