Max Helmberger
@vermivorax.bsky.social
Teacher of applied entomology. Grew up off the grid. No kings, no slavers, no Nazis, and no suburban assholes who think they're country because they drive an $80,000 pickup truck.
Reposted by Max Helmberger
A key takeaway from all this has to be "You don't have to listen to Republicans anymore." They're either perpetrators of fascism or suckers who fell for it. If you have conservative views we can consider them again in 50 years or so
November 16, 2025 at 8:19 PM
A key takeaway from all this has to be "You don't have to listen to Republicans anymore." They're either perpetrators of fascism or suckers who fell for it. If you have conservative views we can consider them again in 50 years or so
Reposted by Max Helmberger
i can’t talk about sports gambling anymore without sounding like a crank but i do believe legalized sports gambling is like 15-20% responsible for our current dystopia
The Athletic polled hundreds of players from across the NBA, NFL, MLB and NHL about their opinions surrounding how sports betting impacts players — the responses were haunting.
November 15, 2025 at 3:26 AM
i can’t talk about sports gambling anymore without sounding like a crank but i do believe legalized sports gambling is like 15-20% responsible for our current dystopia
Billionaires should not be allowed to exist. No one person deserves that level of wealth and the power that comes with it.
Billionaires are more publicly involved in politics than ever—and Americans aren’t loving it.
Americans Want Billionaires Out Of Politics—And Think They’re A Threat To Democracy, Poll Shows
Billionaires are more publicly involved in politics than ever—and Americans aren’t loving it.
www.forbes.com
November 15, 2025 at 4:19 PM
Billionaires should not be allowed to exist. No one person deserves that level of wealth and the power that comes with it.
And people thought trans athletes were ruining the integrity of sports...
A new national poll on sports gambling from Sacred Heart:
- 79% say the recent scandals have shaken their trust in the NBA, 38% say its shaken trust a lot.
- 90% are worried about corruption across sports.
- 75% of gambler believe corruption is more widespread than the NBA
- 79% say the recent scandals have shaken their trust in the NBA, 38% say its shaken trust a lot.
- 90% are worried about corruption across sports.
- 75% of gambler believe corruption is more widespread than the NBA
November 15, 2025 at 3:32 AM
And people thought trans athletes were ruining the integrity of sports...
Reposted by Max Helmberger
USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins plans to make all SNAP recipients reapply and prove "that they literally are vulnerable and they can’t survive without it.”
The 'genuinely disabled'
The 'literally vulnerable'
They keep moving the goalposts.
They were never going to fund SNAP. It's eugenics:
The 'genuinely disabled'
The 'literally vulnerable'
They keep moving the goalposts.
They were never going to fund SNAP. It's eugenics:
Trump administration will require SNAP participants to reapply for benefits
Food aid recipients are already required to recertify their information regularly. But the move is part of USDA chief Brooke Rollins’ effort to overhaul the program.
www.politico.com
November 14, 2025 at 11:09 PM
USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins plans to make all SNAP recipients reapply and prove "that they literally are vulnerable and they can’t survive without it.”
The 'genuinely disabled'
The 'literally vulnerable'
They keep moving the goalposts.
They were never going to fund SNAP. It's eugenics:
The 'genuinely disabled'
The 'literally vulnerable'
They keep moving the goalposts.
They were never going to fund SNAP. It's eugenics:
Reposted by Max Helmberger
This is *depraved* -- glamor shots & an exculpatory feature for a woman who shit on the key central tenets of journalism, repeatedly.
NYT is celebrating elite freedom from accountability. Actively celebrating it. You wouldn't put this in a satire, it's too ham-handed!
NYT is celebrating elite freedom from accountability. Actively celebrating it. You wouldn't put this in a satire, it's too ham-handed!
November 14, 2025 at 6:25 PM
This is *depraved* -- glamor shots & an exculpatory feature for a woman who shit on the key central tenets of journalism, repeatedly.
NYT is celebrating elite freedom from accountability. Actively celebrating it. You wouldn't put this in a satire, it's too ham-handed!
NYT is celebrating elite freedom from accountability. Actively celebrating it. You wouldn't put this in a satire, it's too ham-handed!
Reposted by Max Helmberger
One thing that's abundantly clear: passing the SAFE Research Act would permanently end the United States' ability to be competitive in any area of advanced technology. Just straight up suicidal policy-making.
This has gotten surprisingly little attention — it's not even on the front page of @science.org right now — but it's really hard to describe what the SAFE Research Act would do to US science and scientists without sounding insane
www.science.org/content/arti...
www.science.org/content/arti...
November 14, 2025 at 8:44 PM
One thing that's abundantly clear: passing the SAFE Research Act would permanently end the United States' ability to be competitive in any area of advanced technology. Just straight up suicidal policy-making.
And they said the Green New Deal would take your burger...
True nightmare fuel: Scientists just confirmed the first known death from a severe meat allergy caused by a tick bite.
The man, who died in 2024 after eating a burger, had alpha-gal syndrome, a bizarre disease triggered by tick bites.
www.scientificamerican.com/article/man-...
The man, who died in 2024 after eating a burger, had alpha-gal syndrome, a bizarre disease triggered by tick bites.
www.scientificamerican.com/article/man-...
Man With Tick-Borne Meat Allergy Dies after Eating Burger
Lone star tick bites are the most common cause of alpha-gal syndrome, which causes severe allergic reactions to red meat
www.scientificamerican.com
November 14, 2025 at 7:18 PM
And they said the Green New Deal would take your burger...
Reposted by Max Helmberger
MAGA’s ongoing war on academic freedom, reflected in headlines from the last 24 hours.
November 14, 2025 at 1:17 PM
MAGA’s ongoing war on academic freedom, reflected in headlines from the last 24 hours.
Reposted by Max Helmberger
Message to all faculty: your expertise is no longer trusted or valued at this so-called “university.”
November 14, 2025 at 12:22 PM
Message to all faculty: your expertise is no longer trusted or valued at this so-called “university.”
I assume he then got a job at the car wash? Strangely, the article doesn't mention that.
November 13, 2025 at 4:29 PM
I assume he then got a job at the car wash? Strangely, the article doesn't mention that.
Reposted by Max Helmberger
NEW: @propublica.org investigated the Chicago apartment raid where kids were zip-tied and citizens detained for hours. They find:
- NONE of the arrested were criminally charged
- NO evidence the building was "filled with TdA terrorists."
- ZERO legitimate reason for DHS to rappel from a Blackhawk.
- NONE of the arrested were criminally charged
- NO evidence the building was "filled with TdA terrorists."
- ZERO legitimate reason for DHS to rappel from a Blackhawk.
November 13, 2025 at 2:08 PM
NEW: @propublica.org investigated the Chicago apartment raid where kids were zip-tied and citizens detained for hours. They find:
- NONE of the arrested were criminally charged
- NO evidence the building was "filled with TdA terrorists."
- ZERO legitimate reason for DHS to rappel from a Blackhawk.
- NONE of the arrested were criminally charged
- NO evidence the building was "filled with TdA terrorists."
- ZERO legitimate reason for DHS to rappel from a Blackhawk.
My girlfriend just had this same experience with a doctor's office - scheduling an appointment only to later discover she's "not in their system". What private equity AI bullshit has taken over the medical appointment system market?
I love scheduling a dentist appointment a year in advance, getting there the day of, and being told they can’t find my appointment or me in their system. On the bright side, I probably dodged a bullet, because if they’re this incompetent at scheduling. I can’t imagine what they would do to my teeth.
November 11, 2025 at 1:58 PM
My girlfriend just had this same experience with a doctor's office - scheduling an appointment only to later discover she's "not in their system". What private equity AI bullshit has taken over the medical appointment system market?
Reposted by Max Helmberger
So every freelancer you know is going to lose their insurance or be bankrupted by premiums because Schumer is an invertebrate
November 10, 2025 at 3:27 AM
So every freelancer you know is going to lose their insurance or be bankrupted by premiums because Schumer is an invertebrate
The 974-year-old Shoomer
November 10, 2025 at 3:00 AM
The 974-year-old Shoomer
Reposted by Max Helmberger
A multi billion dollar giveaway to Turbotax and other big Trump donors.
The I.R.S. is shutting down its free online system for filing tax returns, a program that the Biden administration introduced last year and that users gave high marks.
via @tarasiegelbernard.bsky.social
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/06/b...
via @tarasiegelbernard.bsky.social
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/06/b...
I.R.S. Halts Free Online Offering for Filing Taxes Directly
www.nytimes.com
November 9, 2025 at 9:58 PM
A multi billion dollar giveaway to Turbotax and other big Trump donors.
Reposted by Max Helmberger
JD checking if you’re trans
November 9, 2025 at 7:37 PM
JD checking if you’re trans
States' rights! To own people, not to feed them.
NEW: The Trump admin told states it must immediately "undo" the work to provide full food stamp benefits, or face penalties. The feds sent this in a late-night memo, only adding to the chaos and confusion around SNAP. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/09/b...
Trump Administration Demands States ‘Undo’ Work to Send Full Food Stamps
www.nytimes.com
November 9, 2025 at 2:36 PM
States' rights! To own people, not to feed them.
Reposted by Max Helmberger
Do you teach #rstats? Do your students complain about how lame and old-fashioned dplyr is? Don't worry: I have the solution for you: github.com/hadley/genzp....
genzplyr is dplyr, but bussin fr fr no cap.
genzplyr is dplyr, but bussin fr fr no cap.
GitHub - hadley/genzplyr: dplyr but make it bussin fr fr no cap
dplyr but make it bussin fr fr no cap. Contribute to hadley/genzplyr development by creating an account on GitHub.
github.com
November 6, 2025 at 11:25 PM
Do you teach #rstats? Do your students complain about how lame and old-fashioned dplyr is? Don't worry: I have the solution for you: github.com/hadley/genzp....
genzplyr is dplyr, but bussin fr fr no cap.
genzplyr is dplyr, but bussin fr fr no cap.
Reposted by Max Helmberger
congrats to everyone for thinking this through before signing very big contracts to put it on every student’s device at the school or university you run
OVER A MILLION USERS
DISCUSS SUICIDE WITH CHATGPT
EVERY *WEEK*
what the fuck are we DOING here
DISCUSS SUICIDE WITH CHATGPT
EVERY *WEEK*
what the fuck are we DOING here
Panera’s moderately caffeinated lemonade was loosely associated with 2 deaths before it was taken off market.
This article alone has 4 examples of ChatGPT encouraging young people to commit suicide, and OpenAI’s own public stats estimate over a million users discuss suicide with ChatGPT each week.
This article alone has 4 examples of ChatGPT encouraging young people to commit suicide, and OpenAI’s own public stats estimate over a million users discuss suicide with ChatGPT each week.
November 7, 2025 at 11:24 PM
congrats to everyone for thinking this through before signing very big contracts to put it on every student’s device at the school or university you run
Reposted by Max Helmberger
a political movement pathologically committed to vice signaling
BREAKING: The Trump administration seeks an emergency pause to a court order demanding full November SNAP payments.
Trump administration seeks to halt SNAP food aid payments after a court order
The Trump administration has asked a federal appeals court to block a judge’s order to distribute November’s full SNAP benefits during a U.S. government shutdown. U.S.
bit.ly
November 7, 2025 at 7:27 PM
a political movement pathologically committed to vice signaling
As a Cornell alum, shame on everyone involved. Absolute cowards.
BREAKING: Cornell caved.
Here is the settlement agreement, signed today by the university's president, Michael Kotlikoff: statements.cornell.edu/2025/documen...
Here is the settlement agreement, signed today by the university's president, Michael Kotlikoff: statements.cornell.edu/2025/documen...
November 7, 2025 at 5:26 PM
As a Cornell alum, shame on everyone involved. Absolute cowards.
The DOGE teens who manually switched off all the USAID payments are the moral equivalents of the guys who switched on the gas at Auschwitz and deserve the same treatment.
November 7, 2025 at 3:18 PM
The DOGE teens who manually switched off all the USAID payments are the moral equivalents of the guys who switched on the gas at Auschwitz and deserve the same treatment.
Reposted by Max Helmberger
Call me controversial, but technology that leads vulnerable people into crisis and even holds their hand as they die by suicide should not be endorsed by schools and universities, we should not be giving discounted subscriptions to this monstrous tech to young people AT ALL
The boyfriend of a friend of my son's has spent several weeks in a psych ward due to Chat GPT induced psychosis. He isn't suicidal but AI encouraged him down a toxic and paranoid wormhole until he became completely delusional. Evil stuff.
1.This is not the only known example we know of ChatGPT cheering on a vulnerable young person to die by suicide, this time it is a recent Texas A&M grad
2. Every single university that has invited OpenAI into our midst should be asked to account for their choices.
www.cnn.com/2025/11/06/u...
2. Every single university that has invited OpenAI into our midst should be asked to account for their choices.
www.cnn.com/2025/11/06/u...
November 7, 2025 at 12:51 PM
Call me controversial, but technology that leads vulnerable people into crisis and even holds their hand as they die by suicide should not be endorsed by schools and universities, we should not be giving discounted subscriptions to this monstrous tech to young people AT ALL
Reposted by Max Helmberger
If I'm doing the math correctly, Musk's big pay packet yesterday could have made each of these now-dead people millionaires instead.
He is among the sickest men the world has ever produced.
He is among the sickest men the world has ever produced.
One analytical model shows that, as of November 5th, the dismantling of U.S.A.I.D. has already caused the deaths of 600,000 people, two-thirds of them children. https://newyorkermag.visitlink.me/jUzNSc
The Shutdown of U.S.A.I.D. Has Already Killed Hundreds of Thousands
The short documentary “Rovina’s Choice” tells the story of what goes when aid goes.
newyorkermag.visitlink.me
November 7, 2025 at 2:52 PM
If I'm doing the math correctly, Musk's big pay packet yesterday could have made each of these now-dead people millionaires instead.
He is among the sickest men the world has ever produced.
He is among the sickest men the world has ever produced.