Ann Finkbeiner
@annfinkbeiner.bsky.social
Freelance science writer, mostly astro, some natsec sci, some women-in-astro, some grief psych, otherwise whatever I can get paid to write about. I love Baltimore, I do.
Reposted by Ann Finkbeiner
Reposted by Ann Finkbeiner
Reposted by Ann Finkbeiner
Well, this is chilling AF.
The Department of Education is suing Penn (in their quest for "combat antisemitism") requesting detailed information about Jewish faculty and staff.
storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
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The Department of Education is suing Penn (in their quest for "combat antisemitism") requesting detailed information about Jewish faculty and staff.
storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
1/2
storage.courtlistener.com
November 22, 2025 at 2:34 PM
Well, this is chilling AF.
The Department of Education is suing Penn (in their quest for "combat antisemitism") requesting detailed information about Jewish faculty and staff.
storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
1/2
The Department of Education is suing Penn (in their quest for "combat antisemitism") requesting detailed information about Jewish faculty and staff.
storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
1/2
Reposted by Ann Finkbeiner
Can a smaller U.S. National Academies remain relevant?
Loss of federal support leads to staff layoffs and fewer committees of outside experts
www.science.org/content/arti...
"favored by the Trump administration, such as nuclear power, national security, and artificial intelligence, have retained "
Loss of federal support leads to staff layoffs and fewer committees of outside experts
www.science.org/content/arti...
"favored by the Trump administration, such as nuclear power, national security, and artificial intelligence, have retained "
Can a smaller U.S. National Academies remain relevant?
Loss of federal support leads to staff layoffs and fewer committees of outside experts
www.science.org
November 22, 2025 at 3:23 PM
Can a smaller U.S. National Academies remain relevant?
Loss of federal support leads to staff layoffs and fewer committees of outside experts
www.science.org/content/arti...
"favored by the Trump administration, such as nuclear power, national security, and artificial intelligence, have retained "
Loss of federal support leads to staff layoffs and fewer committees of outside experts
www.science.org/content/arti...
"favored by the Trump administration, such as nuclear power, national security, and artificial intelligence, have retained "
Reposted by Ann Finkbeiner
Seems like that Gmail thing isn't true but maybe there's a lesson here about what happens when you keep turning new features on by default and you make it difficult or impossible to turn them off, and also what happens when you lump useful machine learning in with forced slop under the "AI" label
November 22, 2025 at 3:24 PM
Seems like that Gmail thing isn't true but maybe there's a lesson here about what happens when you keep turning new features on by default and you make it difficult or impossible to turn them off, and also what happens when you lump useful machine learning in with forced slop under the "AI" label
Reposted by Ann Finkbeiner
A person in Washington State who kept backyard poultry has died from #H5N5 #flu. The person was the first known infection with this subtype of flu globally & the second recorded death in the US from an #H5 flu virus. Health authorities say there's no evidence the person spread the virus to others.
November 22, 2025 at 2:41 PM
Reposted by Ann Finkbeiner
Gift link to NYT transcript of Trump/ Mamdani presser. WH used to do transcripts but stopped. Outlets should do this more often! www.nytimes.com/2025/11/22/n...
Trump and Mamdani’s News Conference: Read the Transcript
www.nytimes.com
November 22, 2025 at 3:08 PM
Gift link to NYT transcript of Trump/ Mamdani presser. WH used to do transcripts but stopped. Outlets should do this more often! www.nytimes.com/2025/11/22/n...
Reposted by Ann Finkbeiner
👋
i promise i don’t mean to high horse this but if you’re thinking about giving lizza ten bucks there are a lot of good independent journalists whose work you could subscribe to for a month instead
November 22, 2025 at 1:05 PM
👋
Reposted by Ann Finkbeiner
Odd piece in that the word "fraud" appears in neither the headline or article.
Also - were MIT's economists so detached from reality that they didn't wonder about a scenario where scientists were inventing so many new materials but keeping them secret?
www.wsj.com/economy/aida...
Also - were MIT's economists so detached from reality that they didn't wonder about a scenario where scientists were inventing so many new materials but keeping them secret?
www.wsj.com/economy/aida...
An MIT Student Awed Top Economists With His AI Study—Then It All Fell Apart
Aidan Toner-Rodgers shot to academic fame in a field hungry for new insights and revelatory research. But a computer scientist thought something seemed off.
www.wsj.com
November 22, 2025 at 12:11 PM
Odd piece in that the word "fraud" appears in neither the headline or article.
Also - were MIT's economists so detached from reality that they didn't wonder about a scenario where scientists were inventing so many new materials but keeping them secret?
www.wsj.com/economy/aida...
Also - were MIT's economists so detached from reality that they didn't wonder about a scenario where scientists were inventing so many new materials but keeping them secret?
www.wsj.com/economy/aida...
Reposted by Ann Finkbeiner
Clifford “Buzz” Grambo patrols the streets of Baltimore to keep his neighbors safe. His goal is straightforward: He wants to make ICE agents uncomfortable.
“I want their morale as low as possible,” he said, “because a team with low morale is ineffective.”
“I want their morale as low as possible,” he said, “because a team with low morale is ineffective.”
Meet the veteran who chases ICE on a scooter
Clifford “Buzz” Grambo patrols the streets of Baltimore to keep his neighbors safe—and make federal agents uncomfortable.
www.motherjones.com
November 22, 2025 at 3:00 AM
Clifford “Buzz” Grambo patrols the streets of Baltimore to keep his neighbors safe. His goal is straightforward: He wants to make ICE agents uncomfortable.
“I want their morale as low as possible,” he said, “because a team with low morale is ineffective.”
“I want their morale as low as possible,” he said, “because a team with low morale is ineffective.”
Reposted by Ann Finkbeiner
This post brought to you by Chrome adding a Gemini button in the corner, then popping up an enormous "hey want to use Gemini?" chat bubble when I didn't immediately start using it, with no option to never show it again.
November 22, 2025 at 12:50 PM
This post brought to you by Chrome adding a Gemini button in the corner, then popping up an enormous "hey want to use Gemini?" chat bubble when I didn't immediately start using it, with no option to never show it again.
Reposted by Ann Finkbeiner
You should be paying attention to Tennessee.
The congressional race in the state’s seventh congressional district, which includes Nashville, is where cracks in Trump’s base are starting to show.
The congressional race in the state’s seventh congressional district, which includes Nashville, is where cracks in Trump’s base are starting to show.
The Tennessee race that suddenly has Trump world nervous
Democrat Aftyn Behn is putting up a fight.
www.motherjones.com
November 21, 2025 at 11:10 PM
You should be paying attention to Tennessee.
The congressional race in the state’s seventh congressional district, which includes Nashville, is where cracks in Trump’s base are starting to show.
The congressional race in the state’s seventh congressional district, which includes Nashville, is where cracks in Trump’s base are starting to show.
Reposted by Ann Finkbeiner
They misidentified the intern. The judge told them they had misidentified the intern. But instead of double checking, they took that as an affront to their authority. So they surrounded the judge's car and threatened to smash the windows to get to the intern.
They had misidentified the intern.
They had misidentified the intern.
The part where they threatened to break a judge’s car windows should be a bigger story … they feel comfortable treating judges this way, which means they are being told that they can do literally anything to nearly everyone
#BREAKING: A student intern at Rhode Island Superior Court was briefly taken into custody by ICE this afternoon before a judge intervened, 12 News has learned. Story by @jusolyn.bsky.social and @timwhiteri.bsky.social: ⤵️
November 21, 2025 at 5:03 PM
They misidentified the intern. The judge told them they had misidentified the intern. But instead of double checking, they took that as an affront to their authority. So they surrounded the judge's car and threatened to smash the windows to get to the intern.
They had misidentified the intern.
They had misidentified the intern.
Reposted by Ann Finkbeiner
This is not a peace plan. It is a proposal that weakens Ukraine and divides America from Europe, preparing the way for a larger war in the future. In the meantime, it benefits unnamed Russian and American investors, at the expense of everyone else.
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/1...
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/1...
Trump Has a Recipe for War and Corruption, Not Peace
Who would benefit from the White House’s 28-point proposal for Ukraine?
www.theatlantic.com
November 22, 2025 at 11:11 AM
This is not a peace plan. It is a proposal that weakens Ukraine and divides America from Europe, preparing the way for a larger war in the future. In the meantime, it benefits unnamed Russian and American investors, at the expense of everyone else.
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/1...
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/1...
Reposted by Ann Finkbeiner
“The order signed by Justice Samuel Alito will remain in place at least for the next few days while the court considers whether to allow the new map favorable to Republicans to be used in the midterm elections.” END/
November 22, 2025 at 1:14 AM
“The order signed by Justice Samuel Alito will remain in place at least for the next few days while the court considers whether to allow the new map favorable to Republicans to be used in the midterm elections.” END/
Reposted by Ann Finkbeiner
I don't use Gmail as a primary email in part bc I am skeptical of their ability to ensure that private information from Gmail doesn't leak into LLM datasets
I do have a ton of old messages on my 20+ yr old account though. so I opted out of AI training on those by following these instructions
I do have a ton of old messages on my 20+ yr old account though. so I opted out of AI training on those by following these instructions
Gmail can read your emails and attachments to train its AI, unless you opt out
A new Gmail update may allow Google to use your private messages and attachments for AI training. Here's how to turn it off.
www.malwarebytes.com
November 21, 2025 at 10:37 PM
I don't use Gmail as a primary email in part bc I am skeptical of their ability to ensure that private information from Gmail doesn't leak into LLM datasets
I do have a ton of old messages on my 20+ yr old account though. so I opted out of AI training on those by following these instructions
I do have a ton of old messages on my 20+ yr old account though. so I opted out of AI training on those by following these instructions
Reposted by Ann Finkbeiner
So a while ago we got a department goose and wellllll things have been escalating
I do wonder what they are plotting
I do wonder what they are plotting
November 21, 2025 at 11:32 PM
So a while ago we got a department goose and wellllll things have been escalating
I do wonder what they are plotting
I do wonder what they are plotting
Reposted by Ann Finkbeiner
This animation was partly inspired by one outreach event when I realised the dinosaurs had never seen the Pleiades.
November 21, 2025 at 5:38 PM
This animation was partly inspired by one outreach event when I realised the dinosaurs had never seen the Pleiades.
Reposted by Ann Finkbeiner
It's Friday, and apparently bluesky is ready for this fun revelation:
Dinosaurs lived on the other side the Galaxy.
Dinosaurs lived on the other side the Galaxy.
November 21, 2025 at 5:11 PM
It's Friday, and apparently bluesky is ready for this fun revelation:
Dinosaurs lived on the other side the Galaxy.
Dinosaurs lived on the other side the Galaxy.
Reposted by Ann Finkbeiner
Ok Bluesky, let’s give this a go: I found this postcard in the back of a photo frame I bought at a London thrift shop.
It’s an unsent postcard from a woman called Linda to her parents. The front shows the Kremlin in Moscow and the stamp says 1984 (!).
I’d love to return it to Linda - can you help?
It’s an unsent postcard from a woman called Linda to her parents. The front shows the Kremlin in Moscow and the stamp says 1984 (!).
I’d love to return it to Linda - can you help?
November 21, 2025 at 5:40 PM
Ok Bluesky, let’s give this a go: I found this postcard in the back of a photo frame I bought at a London thrift shop.
It’s an unsent postcard from a woman called Linda to her parents. The front shows the Kremlin in Moscow and the stamp says 1984 (!).
I’d love to return it to Linda - can you help?
It’s an unsent postcard from a woman called Linda to her parents. The front shows the Kremlin in Moscow and the stamp says 1984 (!).
I’d love to return it to Linda - can you help?
Reposted by Ann Finkbeiner
6. There were no pediatric #flu deaths reported last week. 🙏
There was a report from Vermont of a person who contracted H1N2v, a #flu virus that circulates in pigs. Not clear how he/she caught the virus or whether any close contacts were also ill. The person recovered. www.cdc.gov/fluview/surv...
There was a report from Vermont of a person who contracted H1N2v, a #flu virus that circulates in pigs. Not clear how he/she caught the virus or whether any close contacts were also ill. The person recovered. www.cdc.gov/fluview/surv...
November 21, 2025 at 11:58 PM
6. There were no pediatric #flu deaths reported last week. 🙏
There was a report from Vermont of a person who contracted H1N2v, a #flu virus that circulates in pigs. Not clear how he/she caught the virus or whether any close contacts were also ill. The person recovered. www.cdc.gov/fluview/surv...
There was a report from Vermont of a person who contracted H1N2v, a #flu virus that circulates in pigs. Not clear how he/she caught the virus or whether any close contacts were also ill. The person recovered. www.cdc.gov/fluview/surv...
Reposted by Ann Finkbeiner
5. The UK & Japan had early starts to their #flu seasons, due to subclade K. But the start to the US season seems on a par with several recent seasons. The dotted red line is this season. When the dotted red curve crosses the black line (which I added), it's considered that flu season has started.
November 21, 2025 at 11:58 PM
5. The UK & Japan had early starts to their #flu seasons, due to subclade K. But the start to the US season seems on a par with several recent seasons. The dotted red line is this season. When the dotted red curve crosses the black line (which I added), it's considered that flu season has started.
Reposted by Ann Finkbeiner
Reposted by Ann Finkbeiner
3. If you haven't got a #flu shot yet, now's the time. You may have heard that there's likely a mismatch this year — the #H3N2 virus mutated after the vaccine strains were picked. More on that in a bit. But that's not a reason to skip getting a shot this year. www.statnews.com/2025/11/20/f...
Is a bad flu season on the way? Experts see reason to be anxious
There are early indications that this flu season could be a bad one.
www.statnews.com
November 21, 2025 at 11:58 PM
3. If you haven't got a #flu shot yet, now's the time. You may have heard that there's likely a mismatch this year — the #H3N2 virus mutated after the vaccine strains were picked. More on that in a bit. But that's not a reason to skip getting a shot this year. www.statnews.com/2025/11/20/f...
Reposted by Ann Finkbeiner
2. As is generally the case with #flu, it starts to spread first among little kids. You can see activity in kids & teens (the top 2 lines) starting to climb sharply. If kids (or their parents) bring flu to Thanksgiving celebrations, the lines at the bottom of the graph will start climbing soon.
November 21, 2025 at 11:58 PM
2. As is generally the case with #flu, it starts to spread first among little kids. You can see activity in kids & teens (the top 2 lines) starting to climb sharply. If kids (or their parents) bring flu to Thanksgiving celebrations, the lines at the bottom of the graph will start climbing soon.