vbarr4.bsky.social
@vbarr4.bsky.social
Great night for the Dems. Now let's chat about wealth gap. If the 400 wealthiest people are worth $6 trillion and the next 50% of the country are worth $4 trillion then...<checks math> that means 400 people are worth 50% more than 200 million people. We need more like Mamdani! Rein in the rich.
November 5, 2025 at 2:39 AM
If necessary in NYC, I will definitely be doing this. Have bike, will take a stand.
Chicago cyclists are buying out tamale carts to keep vendors home and safe from ICE. blockclubchi.co/42KQ57O
October 18, 2025 at 12:14 AM
Time to rewrite the headline. "Microsoft and Nvidia have ... plans to invest up to $45 billion dollars into the UK economy" should be "Major tech bros promise to ruin the environment and economy of yet another country, & nobody wants to stop them".
September 17, 2025 at 11:50 AM
Projection: by 2030 advanced LLMs will complete in hours or days with 50% reliability software-based tasks that take humans a full month. Question: how much longer will it take human programmers to fix the LLM produced software than it would take for them to code it in the first place?
August 27, 2025 at 1:55 AM
I live for the day when a gate agent calls up teachers to pre-board a flight!!!!
July 30, 2025 at 4:10 PM
I've tried to sum up my concerns about the rush to all-AI all the time.
open.substack.com/pub/valerieb...
Feeling cranky about AI & CS Education
I’ve been around for a while.
open.substack.com
July 30, 2025 at 12:36 AM
The Republicans are sex-obsessed. The Dems never bring that up. No, the Dems jump on the sex-obsessed bandwagon, making it all about Epstein, when they could instead keep fighting any of the hundreds of issues T serves up every day.
July 24, 2025 at 5:22 PM
Given the planetary problems inherent in genAI & the political problems inherent in the T gov't approach to genAI, the only correct position right now seems to be to not use genAI at all (or at least avoid it as much as possible since it's being forced on us in browsers etc.).
July 24, 2025 at 5:19 PM
Just another way that the tech sector makes itself completely inhospitable for anyone planning to raise children. Work 6 days/week, 9:00am to 9:00pm. It's a shame that tech sector employees are so willing to ignore the bloody history of worker organizing. www.wired.com/story/silico...
Silicon Valley AI Startups Are Embracing China’s Controversial ‘996’ Work Schedule
In an industry once known for cushy perks, some founders are now asking staff to commit to a 72-hour weekly schedule. You’re either in or you’re out.
www.wired.com
July 24, 2025 at 1:48 AM
We have to stand with NSF and all of the science agencies as they try to retain a semblance of rigorous pursuit of scientific research. @standupforscience.bsky.social
Over 140 employees at the National Science Foundation have taken the rare step of signing a letter warning the Trump admin is gutting the agency, slashing budgets, firing staff, and sabotaging science from within. All but one name is redacted out of fear of retaliation.
democrats-science.house.gov
July 23, 2025 at 2:15 AM
If you haven't used this training yet for your TAs, what are you waiting for? You can get it all set up for fall term!
🔍 #CS Faculty, #STEM Faculty, and TA Supervisors: Looking to enhance your teaching team's effectiveness? The AiiCE Teaching Assistant Professional Development Course provides structured training that complements your institution-specific onboarding. #AiiCEinnovates
🔗 Learn more: duke.is/AiiCE-TA-PD
July 21, 2025 at 10:47 PM
Subject line on today's email from Anthropic: "Give Claude the context you have". Let me correct that for them: "We need more training data, please give us access to everything on your computer". Sadly, there are people who will buy the hype & jump at the chance.
July 16, 2025 at 8:36 PM
Reposted
A strong statement of resistance to the relentless marketing of "AI" in education spaces. I encourage all educators to have a look and consider signing on:

openletter.earth/an-open-lett...
An open letter from educators who refuse the call to adopt GenAI in education
openletter.earth
July 10, 2025 at 10:00 AM
If you care about NSF, get ready to show your support when this letter comes out! @standupforscience.bsky.social
July 10, 2025 at 11:52 AM
"According to the researchers, LLMs should be able to perform software-based tasks that take humans one month of 40-hour workweeks with 50% reliability in days, possibly hours, by 2030." The issue here is that humans need better training so they get closer to 100% reliability. Support teachers!
July 7, 2025 at 6:37 PM
Reposted
This Fourth of July, I am thinking about the 139 civil servants who took an oath to uphold the constitution and the EPA’s mission, and were placed on leave for raising concerns about issues such as deregulating asbestos and lead exposure.

This is un-American. The 1st amendment exists for a reason.
🚨BREAKING NEWS🚨

Brave #EPA employees who signed the #DeclarationofDissent are now facing administrative leave after speaking out.

NOW MORE THAN EVER THESE EPA EMPLOYEES NEED YOUR SUPPORT & SOLIDARITY!

stand with them publicly now by adding your name here ➡️ zurl.co/6MReq

zurl.co/XiAxu
EPA places staffers who signed ‘dissent’ letter on leave
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is placing staffers who signed a letter of dissent against the Trump administration’s actions and policies on leave. The EPA says it has placed 1…
thehill.com
July 4, 2025 at 3:40 PM
Reposted
📣 OFFICIAL STATEMENT from our Founder & Executive Director @cdelawalla.bsky.social on the unfolding situation at the #EPA.

Stand with the brave EPAers here➡️ act.standupforscience.net/forms/epa-ad...

#DeclarationofDissent
July 3, 2025 at 7:47 PM
Check out the @standupforscience.bsky.social info on the EPA whistleblower Declaration of Dissent!!! www.standupforscience.net/epa-declarat...
Support EPA Staff Now! — STAND UP FOR SCIENCE
Your solidarity with the EPA heroes increases the pressure on their Administrator Lee Zeldin.
www.standupforscience.net
June 30, 2025 at 3:47 PM
Anybody remember how bad Teen Talk Barbie was? Do we think that adding AI to toys will magically make them a positive and affirming experience for all children? Just when it's more important than ever that children have unplugged time... www.businesswire.com/news/home/20...
Mattel and OpenAI Announce Strategic Collaboration
Mattel, Inc. (NASDAQ: MAT), a leading global toy and family entertainment company and owner of one of the most iconic brand portfolios in the world, and Open...
www.businesswire.com
June 13, 2025 at 12:46 PM
Tech bros sending the clearest message that only certain people belong in tech. www.nytimes.com/2025/05/11/t...
The Tech Guys Are Fighting. Literally.
www.nytimes.com
May 14, 2025 at 11:50 AM
Reposted
NSF research discoveries?

The science creating:
• MRI
• 3D Printing
• American Sign Language
• Doppler radar
• GIS
• INTERNET
• Kidney matching
• LASIK eye surgery
• Semiconductors
• Supercomputers
• Cybersecurity
• Children's education through TV programming, movies, museum exhibits, and apps.
May 6, 2025 at 10:04 PM
Want to know how little the US already invests in scientific research? Less than 1% of GDP! open.substack.com/pub/valerieb...
Trump thinks too much is spent on research. He's wrong!
Ted Cruz’s October 2024 report on the National Science Foundation included a table that caught my eye.
open.substack.com
May 7, 2025 at 1:10 AM