Conn McQuinn
@connmc.bsky.social
Science, technology, and neuroscience educator, mostly retired but still kibitzing. Into cartooning, maker spaces, and storytelling. And because life demands it, politics.
Reposted by Conn McQuinn
This seems like the most straightforward and also basically accurate message.
instead of saying this was good strategy, maybe senate dems should say: "the republicans were going to kill people by starving them to death, and because we aren't monsters, we decided to let this fight go. We'll keep fighting. Stop electing monsters."
November 11, 2025 at 2:50 PM
This seems like the most straightforward and also basically accurate message.
In this fraught moment, I want to point out two neurological facts. First, when we are outraged, our executive functions are severely diminished. We can’t think clearly. Secondly, our confidence in our beliefs is intensified. Our doubts disappear at the same time our reasoning ability does. 1/2
November 9, 2025 at 11:57 PM
In this fraught moment, I want to point out two neurological facts. First, when we are outraged, our executive functions are severely diminished. We can’t think clearly. Secondly, our confidence in our beliefs is intensified. Our doubts disappear at the same time our reasoning ability does. 1/2
Reposted by Conn McQuinn
I get it. You are pissed but hear me out. This is why Democrats are reopening the government.
November 9, 2025 at 10:22 PM
I get it. You are pissed but hear me out. This is why Democrats are reopening the government.
What I think people fail to understand is that shutting down the government is a hostagetaking situation. And hostagetaking scenarios only work if the other party cares about the hostages. The reality is the Democrats have limited leverage because the Republicans don’t give a damn.
November 9, 2025 at 8:30 PM
What I think people fail to understand is that shutting down the government is a hostagetaking situation. And hostagetaking scenarios only work if the other party cares about the hostages. The reality is the Democrats have limited leverage because the Republicans don’t give a damn.
The stark moral asymmetry of the shutdown fight is that Democrats care about the harms it causes and Republicans don’t. Republicans understand this, and it’s why they are intentionally increasing the harms. They don’t risk electoral consequences for 12 months, which in politics is forever.
November 9, 2025 at 5:30 PM
The stark moral asymmetry of the shutdown fight is that Democrats care about the harms it causes and Republicans don’t. Republicans understand this, and it’s why they are intentionally increasing the harms. They don’t risk electoral consequences for 12 months, which in politics is forever.
Reposted by Conn McQuinn
It's annoying to keep having to point this out, but the actual DNC has been behind Mamdani ever since he won the primary, which you wouldn't know by reading some posts on here.
November 4, 2025 at 7:54 PM
It's annoying to keep having to point this out, but the actual DNC has been behind Mamdani ever since he won the primary, which you wouldn't know by reading some posts on here.
Reposted by Conn McQuinn
At my town hall in Aurora, a constituent asked me what gives me hope for a better tomorrow:
October 23, 2025 at 9:41 PM
At my town hall in Aurora, a constituent asked me what gives me hope for a better tomorrow:
Reposted by Conn McQuinn
What exactly is a government shutdown? @mcbride.house.gov and I break it down for you in our new video, Shutdown for Dummies!
youtu.be/x920WQvuLaE?...
youtu.be/x920WQvuLaE?...
What even is a government shutdown?
YouTube video by Sen. Ruben Gallego
youtu.be
October 24, 2025 at 1:25 AM
What exactly is a government shutdown? @mcbride.house.gov and I break it down for you in our new video, Shutdown for Dummies!
youtu.be/x920WQvuLaE?...
youtu.be/x920WQvuLaE?...
#NoKings Des Moines, Washington (small city south of Seattle, and the S in Moines is *not* silent.) The street was lined for blocks on both sides.
October 18, 2025 at 8:40 PM
#NoKings Des Moines, Washington (small city south of Seattle, and the S in Moines is *not* silent.) The street was lined for blocks on both sides.
Reposted by Conn McQuinn
JD Vance is outright LYING when he says Democrats are giving health care to illegal immigrants in our funding bill. How do I know? Because I wrote it!
Undocumented immigrants are NOT eligible for federal health care programs. But our bill DOES stop your premiums from doubling next year.
Undocumented immigrants are NOT eligible for federal health care programs. But our bill DOES stop your premiums from doubling next year.
October 4, 2025 at 3:58 PM
JD Vance is outright LYING when he says Democrats are giving health care to illegal immigrants in our funding bill. How do I know? Because I wrote it!
Undocumented immigrants are NOT eligible for federal health care programs. But our bill DOES stop your premiums from doubling next year.
Undocumented immigrants are NOT eligible for federal health care programs. But our bill DOES stop your premiums from doubling next year.
"Workslop" is now firmly embedded in my vocabulary, and my sole regret in being retired is having fewer opportunities to put it to use.
"Employees are using AI tools to create low-effort, passable looking work that ends up creating more work for their coworkers. On social media ... this content is often referred to as 'AI slop.' In the context of work, we refer to this phenomenon as 'workslop.'"
AI-Generated “Workslop” Is Destroying Productivity
Despite a surge in generative AI use across workplaces, most companies are seeing little measurable ROI. One possible reason is because AI tools are being used to produce “workslop”—content that appea...
hbr.org
September 25, 2025 at 1:17 AM
"Workslop" is now firmly embedded in my vocabulary, and my sole regret in being retired is having fewer opportunities to put it to use.
Reposted by Conn McQuinn
I refuse to be lectured about political violence by a person who pardoned 1,600 people convicted of political violence.
September 11, 2025 at 5:16 PM
I refuse to be lectured about political violence by a person who pardoned 1,600 people convicted of political violence.
The subtitle says it all: “There is no middle ground.” Generative AI has no place in education. It was developed through theft of intellectual property, trained through exploitation, powered by environmental destruction, and is intellectually damaging to its users.
New today in The Important Work: high school teacher Clayton Kistner draws inspiration from @bcmerchant.bsky.social's Blood in the Machine and argues that in the classroom, there is no middle ground when it comes to AI. theimportantwork.substack.com/p/i-am-a-pro...
I am a proud Luddite in the classroom
There is no middle ground
theimportantwork.substack.com
September 9, 2025 at 3:18 PM
The subtitle says it all: “There is no middle ground.” Generative AI has no place in education. It was developed through theft of intellectual property, trained through exploitation, powered by environmental destruction, and is intellectually damaging to its users.
If we bring generative AI into our K-12 classrooms, we are explicitly telling students that we don't care about global warming and its impact on their lives. Full stop.
All projections show data centers dramatically increasing energy demand. What are we gaining that's worth mortgaging their future?
All projections show data centers dramatically increasing energy demand. What are we gaining that's worth mortgaging their future?
September 6, 2025 at 7:26 PM
If we bring generative AI into our K-12 classrooms, we are explicitly telling students that we don't care about global warming and its impact on their lives. Full stop.
All projections show data centers dramatically increasing energy demand. What are we gaining that's worth mortgaging their future?
All projections show data centers dramatically increasing energy demand. What are we gaining that's worth mortgaging their future?
Reposted by Conn McQuinn
Finally! 🤩 Our position piece: Against the Uncritical Adoption of 'AI' Technologies in Academia:
doi.org/10.5281/zeno...
We unpick the tech industry’s marketing, hype, & harm; and we argue for safeguarding higher education, critical
thinking, expertise, academic freedom, & scientific integrity.
1/n
doi.org/10.5281/zeno...
We unpick the tech industry’s marketing, hype, & harm; and we argue for safeguarding higher education, critical
thinking, expertise, academic freedom, & scientific integrity.
1/n
September 6, 2025 at 8:13 AM
Finally! 🤩 Our position piece: Against the Uncritical Adoption of 'AI' Technologies in Academia:
doi.org/10.5281/zeno...
We unpick the tech industry’s marketing, hype, & harm; and we argue for safeguarding higher education, critical
thinking, expertise, academic freedom, & scientific integrity.
1/n
doi.org/10.5281/zeno...
We unpick the tech industry’s marketing, hype, & harm; and we argue for safeguarding higher education, critical
thinking, expertise, academic freedom, & scientific integrity.
1/n
If you have a personal or family license to Office 365 and have been "upgraded" to include Copilot, here are the instructions on how to "downgrade" to Office 365 Classic without it.
support.microsoft.com/en-us/office...
support.microsoft.com/en-us/office...
Switching to Microsoft 365 Personal and Family Classic Plans - Microsoft Support
Learn how to switch to a Microsoft 365 subscription plan without AI features, which include Microsoft 365 Basic, Microsoft 365 Personal Classic and Microsoft 365 Family Classic.
support.microsoft.com
September 4, 2025 at 9:17 PM
If you have a personal or family license to Office 365 and have been "upgraded" to include Copilot, here are the instructions on how to "downgrade" to Office 365 Classic without it.
support.microsoft.com/en-us/office...
support.microsoft.com/en-us/office...
Reposted by Conn McQuinn
If House Republicans try to jam through a partisan CR without any input from Democratic members of Congress, and they suddenly find that they don’t have the votes they need from our caucus to fund the government?
Well then, THAT is a Republican shutdown.
Well then, THAT is a Republican shutdown.
September 3, 2025 at 9:02 PM
If House Republicans try to jam through a partisan CR without any input from Democratic members of Congress, and they suddenly find that they don’t have the votes they need from our caucus to fund the government?
Well then, THAT is a Republican shutdown.
Well then, THAT is a Republican shutdown.
Reposted by Conn McQuinn
There are four main arguments for AI in education:
1. Efficiency, saving teachers time
2. Equity, making education inclusive
3. Improving outcomes by personalizing learning
4. It's inevitable
Is it true?
Nope.
Micro 🧵
1. Efficiency, saving teachers time
2. Equity, making education inclusive
3. Improving outcomes by personalizing learning
4. It's inevitable
Is it true?
Nope.
Micro 🧵
August 29, 2025 at 10:17 PM
There are four main arguments for AI in education:
1. Efficiency, saving teachers time
2. Equity, making education inclusive
3. Improving outcomes by personalizing learning
4. It's inevitable
Is it true?
Nope.
Micro 🧵
1. Efficiency, saving teachers time
2. Equity, making education inclusive
3. Improving outcomes by personalizing learning
4. It's inevitable
Is it true?
Nope.
Micro 🧵
Reposted by Conn McQuinn
My lab's been attacked by an anti-wind group and their lawyers. They threatened the science funding of my whole university, to shut me and my undergraduate research assistants up.
NYT just covered it. 1/n
www.nytimes.com/2025/08/25/c...
NYT just covered it. 1/n
www.nytimes.com/2025/08/25/c...
Law Firm Pressures Brown University to Erase Research on Anti-Wind Groups
www.nytimes.com
August 25, 2025 at 11:32 AM
My lab's been attacked by an anti-wind group and their lawyers. They threatened the science funding of my whole university, to shut me and my undergraduate research assistants up.
NYT just covered it. 1/n
www.nytimes.com/2025/08/25/c...
NYT just covered it. 1/n
www.nytimes.com/2025/08/25/c...
Reposted by Conn McQuinn
Message to the National Guard
August 23, 2025 at 1:12 PM
Message to the National Guard
The most remarkable thing about this morning’s raid on John Bolton is that he’s not a Black woman.
I suppose he’s their DEI target for harassment this week.
I suppose he’s their DEI target for harassment this week.
August 22, 2025 at 3:03 PM
The most remarkable thing about this morning’s raid on John Bolton is that he’s not a Black woman.
I suppose he’s their DEI target for harassment this week.
I suppose he’s their DEI target for harassment this week.
Reposted by Conn McQuinn
Again: this is not about what this country can or can’t afford.
It’s about priorities.
It’s about priorities.
August 19, 2025 at 8:31 PM
Again: this is not about what this country can or can’t afford.
It’s about priorities.
It’s about priorities.
Reposted by Conn McQuinn
Hello. I wrote a nice long essay about AI and this very strange moment where we're constantly told we're living in the dawn of a strange new future but the only thing that's actually clear is that everyone feels pretty unmoored and uncertain. I hope you'll read it
AI Is a Mass-Delusion Event
Three years in, one of AI’s enduring impacts is to make people feel like they’re losing it.
www.theatlantic.com
August 18, 2025 at 9:21 PM
Hello. I wrote a nice long essay about AI and this very strange moment where we're constantly told we're living in the dawn of a strange new future but the only thing that's actually clear is that everyone feels pretty unmoored and uncertain. I hope you'll read it