Chris J. Karr (BRIC)
@chris.bric.digital
Creating and supporting a sustainable software development environment for scientific research infrastructure.
We wrote a post about the moderation infrastructure that we introduced last week at ISRII '25.
In short, we created a voting system for various automated agents to moderate content originating from user-generated or large language model contexts. We're using this system to improve rule-based bots.
In short, we created a voting system for various automated agents to moderate content originating from user-generated or large language model contexts. We're using this system to improve rule-based bots.
Introducing Simple Moderation: Real-time moderation for LLM- and user-generated content
We're using AIs and machine learning classifiers to moderate content before passing that on to human beings.
bric.digital
August 13, 2025 at 6:59 PM
We wrote a post about the moderation infrastructure that we introduced last week at ISRII '25.
In short, we created a voting system for various automated agents to moderate content originating from user-generated or large language model contexts. We're using this system to improve rule-based bots.
In short, we created a voting system for various automated agents to moderate content originating from user-generated or large language model contexts. We're using this system to improve rule-based bots.
Good to see this work from some of the folks @bric.digital has worked with in the past (not necessarily under the BRIC umbrella).
Allcott, Gentzkow & Wojcieszak, to name a few.
Allcott, Gentzkow & Wojcieszak, to name a few.
What happens to people when researchers encourage them to deactivate Facebook or Instagram for a few weeks in the lead up to an election?
People get modestly* happier/less depressed/less anxious.
"The Facebook effect is driven by people >35, while the Instagram effect is driven by women <25."
People get modestly* happier/less depressed/less anxious.
"The Facebook effect is driven by people >35, while the Instagram effect is driven by women <25."
April 21, 2025 at 2:57 PM
Good to see this work from some of the folks @bric.digital has worked with in the past (not necessarily under the BRIC umbrella).
Allcott, Gentzkow & Wojcieszak, to name a few.
Allcott, Gentzkow & Wojcieszak, to name a few.
Reposted by Chris J. Karr (BRIC)
Stepping away from the Bluesky doomscrolling today.
Working on a new engine for scheduling future tasks as part of all the Django infrastructure I'm building. I already have the "do X on 5 second intervals" nailed down (Quicksilver). I'm working on the "do Z if A, B, and C haven't happened" side.
Working on a new engine for scheduling future tasks as part of all the Django infrastructure I'm building. I already have the "do X on 5 second intervals" nailed down (Quicksilver). I'm working on the "do Z if A, B, and C haven't happened" side.
April 18, 2025 at 2:32 PM
Stepping away from the Bluesky doomscrolling today.
Working on a new engine for scheduling future tasks as part of all the Django infrastructure I'm building. I already have the "do X on 5 second intervals" nailed down (Quicksilver). I'm working on the "do Z if A, B, and C haven't happened" side.
Working on a new engine for scheduling future tasks as part of all the Django infrastructure I'm building. I already have the "do X on 5 second intervals" nailed down (Quicksilver). I'm working on the "do Z if A, B, and C haven't happened" side.
We've been having problems sending out our Ghost newsletter posts and finally tracked down the culprit: internal Mailgun limits on how many messages can be in an API batch call.
We wrote up the details as another newsletter post (partially to test our fix).
#GhostNewsletter #Mailgun #SelfHosting
We wrote up the details as another newsletter post (partially to test our fix).
#GhostNewsletter #Mailgun #SelfHosting
Leveling-Up the Newsletter
Our Ghost newsletter has grown beyond some undocumented limits that started causing problems for us.
bric.digital
April 17, 2025 at 3:23 PM
We've been having problems sending out our Ghost newsletter posts and finally tracked down the culprit: internal Mailgun limits on how many messages can be in an API batch call.
We wrote up the details as another newsletter post (partially to test our fix).
#GhostNewsletter #Mailgun #SelfHosting
We wrote up the details as another newsletter post (partially to test our fix).
#GhostNewsletter #Mailgun #SelfHosting
We have a new post up on the BRIC newsletter about how we're using tools like Docker Desktop to solve some problems specific to science: sharing your work with other researchers to replicate, and navigating getting the software running in the first place when each institution is different.
Containerized Science
An introduction to how BRIC is using software containerization in the service of science.
bric.digital
April 16, 2025 at 11:30 PM
We have a new post up on the BRIC newsletter about how we're using tools like Docker Desktop to solve some problems specific to science: sharing your work with other researchers to replicate, and navigating getting the software running in the first place when each institution is different.
Just sent a ton of Baby Yoda images to some clients, demonstrating how we can use all the scheduling and transmission infrastructure developed for SMS text messaging projects in the context of iOS and Android native apps.
It's effectively a cut-down version of OneSignal that you can host yourself.
It's effectively a cut-down version of OneSignal that you can host yourself.
April 4, 2025 at 4:28 PM
Just sent a ton of Baby Yoda images to some clients, demonstrating how we can use all the scheduling and transmission infrastructure developed for SMS text messaging projects in the context of iOS and Android native apps.
It's effectively a cut-down version of OneSignal that you can host yourself.
It's effectively a cut-down version of OneSignal that you can host yourself.
BRIC is pleased to announce its first Interstellar Conference on Behavioral Research Infrastructure (ICBRI) to be held later this summer in HIP 4055.
The deadline for abstract submissions is May 1st, 3311.
#EliteDangerous #HIP4055 #BRIC #AprilFools
The deadline for abstract submissions is May 1st, 3311.
#EliteDangerous #HIP4055 #BRIC #AprilFools
Announcing ICBRI, the first Interstellar Conference on Behavioral Research Infrastructure
The Behavioral Research Innovation Center (BRIC) would like to extend an invitation to researchers around the Milky Way galaxy to present their work and findings at the Interstellar Conference on Beha...
bric.digital
April 1, 2025 at 4:58 PM
BRIC is pleased to announce its first Interstellar Conference on Behavioral Research Infrastructure (ICBRI) to be held later this summer in HIP 4055.
The deadline for abstract submissions is May 1st, 3311.
#EliteDangerous #HIP4055 #BRIC #AprilFools
The deadline for abstract submissions is May 1st, 3311.
#EliteDangerous #HIP4055 #BRIC #AprilFools
I've finally finished a minor manifesto on how we're developing software infrastructure at BRIC, alongside with an announcement that the open-source tools and components that I've been developing for the past decade (and then some!) now lives under the BRIC non-profit umbrella.
#ResearchSoftware
#ResearchSoftware
Stone Soup Software Development
How a classic child's tale can influence software development in a positive direction.
bric.digital
March 5, 2025 at 1:28 AM
I've finally finished a minor manifesto on how we're developing software infrastructure at BRIC, alongside with an announcement that the open-source tools and components that I've been developing for the past decade (and then some!) now lives under the BRIC non-profit umbrella.
#ResearchSoftware
#ResearchSoftware
If I'm a stickler for things like third-party continuous integration, one of the BIG reasons is that a lot of research code simply isn't build-able from scratch.
Struggling with a inherited JS project that has dependencies that must be installed under Node v. 14, but requires Node 16+ to run.
Struggling with a inherited JS project that has dependencies that must be installed under Node v. 14, but requires Node 16+ to run.
February 27, 2025 at 10:02 PM
If I'm a stickler for things like third-party continuous integration, one of the BIG reasons is that a lot of research code simply isn't build-able from scratch.
Struggling with a inherited JS project that has dependencies that must be installed under Node v. 14, but requires Node 16+ to run.
Struggling with a inherited JS project that has dependencies that must be installed under Node v. 14, but requires Node 16+ to run.
Until I can get a proper mug shot, I figured that I'd use the ASCI Blue Mountain supercomputer at Los Alamos National Laboratory as my avatar.
It holds a special place in my heart, as one of my summer jobs (and introduction to scientific computing) was assisting LANL scientists learning to use it.
It holds a special place in my heart, as one of my summer jobs (and introduction to scientific computing) was assisting LANL scientists learning to use it.
ASCI Blue Mountain - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
February 25, 2025 at 8:27 PM
Until I can get a proper mug shot, I figured that I'd use the ASCI Blue Mountain supercomputer at Los Alamos National Laboratory as my avatar.
It holds a special place in my heart, as one of my summer jobs (and introduction to scientific computing) was assisting LANL scientists learning to use it.
It holds a special place in my heart, as one of my summer jobs (and introduction to scientific computing) was assisting LANL scientists learning to use it.
For the folks wondering about the banner image, it's the underground construction of the subway portion of Chicago's (now) Red Line running beneath the Chicago Loop.
State Street Subway Construction
Construction of the 4.9 mile-long State Street Subway (now part of the CTA Red Line) began on December 17, 1938, near Chicago Avenue. Work on the Dearborn subway started the following March 15, but ha...
www.flickr.com
February 25, 2025 at 8:02 PM
For the folks wondering about the banner image, it's the underground construction of the subway portion of Chicago's (now) Red Line running beneath the Chicago Loop.