matt duffy
@duffymatt.bsky.social
Data nerd by trade. Founder of TerraSol, a company that helps farmers get involved in the solar economy. Former USCG search and rescue. I talk nonsense, and write at https://seekingsignal.substack.com/
Pinned
matt duffy
@duffymatt.bsky.social
· Jun 24
The Dog With The Big Brain
I.
seekingsignal.substack.com
[into the void voice] here's my latest on AI, and what it will do to us unless we steer it. also some photos of and bits about my dog. seekingsignal.substack.com/p/the-dog-wi...
Topper has made precisely 0 good moves in this series. Robertson starting another inning. Stott bunt. Nola as an opener for some reason. Horrific managing, he can't come back.
Phillies entering Sixers mode.
Phillies entering Sixers mode.
October 9, 2025 at 1:52 AM
Topper has made precisely 0 good moves in this series. Robertson starting another inning. Stott bunt. Nola as an opener for some reason. Horrific managing, he can't come back.
Phillies entering Sixers mode.
Phillies entering Sixers mode.
The Phillies are deeply embarrassing and I need them to end this quickly so they can stop impacting my mental health
October 6, 2025 at 11:51 PM
The Phillies are deeply embarrassing and I need them to end this quickly so they can stop impacting my mental health
the cited reason for the drop (just look at the pull quotes!) is the treatment of the campus protest for Gaza!
Love that the University of Virginia plummeted to No. 21 because students say they have to "self-censor."
As opposed to last year, when UVA was No. 1 after the administration sent the police to violently crush a small student encampment for Gaza while thousands of people looked on.
As opposed to last year, when UVA was No. 1 after the administration sent the police to violently crush a small student encampment for Gaza while thousands of people looked on.
September 10, 2025 at 3:40 PM
the cited reason for the drop (just look at the pull quotes!) is the treatment of the campus protest for Gaza!
One of those days when this website is on something completely different from the other one and both are trying to pretend a specific thing in the news is not a thing. Fascinating tbh.
September 9, 2025 at 11:12 PM
One of those days when this website is on something completely different from the other one and both are trying to pretend a specific thing in the news is not a thing. Fascinating tbh.
It is very funny to see all the 40+ year olds on here complaining about the broadcast. It's like watching with hundreds of my dad.
September 6, 2025 at 12:50 AM
It is very funny to see all the 40+ year olds on here complaining about the broadcast. It's like watching with hundreds of my dad.
This app has an enduring childlessness problem
September 1, 2025 at 6:37 PM
This app has an enduring childlessness problem
a very simple exercise for these people: if you can't say the sentence when you replace "kids/children" with a minority racial demographic of your choice, you should not say the sentence.
saw a "children shouldn't be allowed in restaurants" take from a non-parent
mfer go to a BAR
mfer go to a BAR
August 20, 2025 at 7:38 PM
a very simple exercise for these people: if you can't say the sentence when you replace "kids/children" with a minority racial demographic of your choice, you should not say the sentence.
seeing people cite downward trend in DC crime stats, and I don't think anyone understands how bad that data series is. dug into it after a shootings in my hood (a good bellwether) coincided with 'good' crime data. policymakers have built unreliable data that essentially ensures data != reality
August 11, 2025 at 1:13 PM
seeing people cite downward trend in DC crime stats, and I don't think anyone understands how bad that data series is. dug into it after a shootings in my hood (a good bellwether) coincided with 'good' crime data. policymakers have built unreliable data that essentially ensures data != reality
Came by to check the reaction to the Blackstone thing and yep this site is no better then the fascists
July 30, 2025 at 11:36 PM
Came by to check the reaction to the Blackstone thing and yep this site is no better then the fascists
yet another indication that this site has fleas: that bret stephens article has 0 attention on the other site. this place guarantees that every weird conservative thought gets immense reach because bluesky can't stop doing dunks like it's 2018
July 16, 2025 at 2:32 AM
yet another indication that this site has fleas: that bret stephens article has 0 attention on the other site. this place guarantees that every weird conservative thought gets immense reach because bluesky can't stop doing dunks like it's 2018
@minakimes.bsky.social catching up on stuff, and just heard you on Pablo's pod saying that for the little guy the ipad is Elmo and the tv is basketball, and that was (is?) also my now 2.5 year old's understanding of those devices. the elmo/ball hive is real.
July 3, 2025 at 7:33 PM
@minakimes.bsky.social catching up on stuff, and just heard you on Pablo's pod saying that for the little guy the ipad is Elmo and the tv is basketball, and that was (is?) also my now 2.5 year old's understanding of those devices. the elmo/ball hive is real.
If you know farmers, esp in the mid-Atlantic, who are interested in considering agrivoltaics to stabilize revenue, well the time is now. Send them our way, we can link them up with devs that don't suck. Get in while tax credit + bonus depreciation is here www.terrasollink.com
TerraSol
www.terrasollink.com
July 3, 2025 at 4:20 PM
If you know farmers, esp in the mid-Atlantic, who are interested in considering agrivoltaics to stabilize revenue, well the time is now. Send them our way, we can link them up with devs that don't suck. Get in while tax credit + bonus depreciation is here www.terrasollink.com
This kind of thinking is why Dems keep losing rural areas. It's a complete misreading of rural area dynamics, and why they support the GOP by default.
I hope that I am not right, but I do not think that the GOP fucking over rural areas will result in rural areas blaming the GOP: instead they'll double-down on blaming imaginary cultural enemies and resentment/fantasy about how the cities must be worse.
June 30, 2025 at 12:20 PM
This kind of thinking is why Dems keep losing rural areas. It's a complete misreading of rural area dynamics, and why they support the GOP by default.
need to peform a complete shutdown before rebooting the phillies.
June 26, 2025 at 8:34 PM
need to peform a complete shutdown before rebooting the phillies.
if you want people to be "realistic" about tech you should not be so dismissive. it's fine to say something is far-fetched. But it's silly to say "no pathway". Cava and others have been doing similar monitoring of their *customers* for years, using basic sensors and raspberry pis. it's not all LLM.
Once again, it must be said as loudly as possible: AI can't do the things described in this paragraph, and there is no pathway to it ever being able to do them.
Bro, what.
June 25, 2025 at 1:03 PM
if you want people to be "realistic" about tech you should not be so dismissive. it's fine to say something is far-fetched. But it's silly to say "no pathway". Cava and others have been doing similar monitoring of their *customers* for years, using basic sensors and raspberry pis. it's not all LLM.
when you consider that these mayoral elections are low turnout, and you consider what the core problem has been for the far left since their peak in 2016, I think the problems remain despite Mamdani and the paths ahead is continued contraction. Exhibit 1:
June 25, 2025 at 12:45 PM
when you consider that these mayoral elections are low turnout, and you consider what the core problem has been for the far left since their peak in 2016, I think the problems remain despite Mamdani and the paths ahead is continued contraction. Exhibit 1:
If Mamdani wins, then a vigorous young candidate barely beat a ghoulish fossil who barely campaigned in an election in likely the most favorable area in the country for the left. The DSA folks seeing this as a potentially major victory are not seeing how dire that is for left prospects in like Iowa
June 25, 2025 at 1:07 AM
If Mamdani wins, then a vigorous young candidate barely beat a ghoulish fossil who barely campaigned in an election in likely the most favorable area in the country for the left. The DSA folks seeing this as a potentially major victory are not seeing how dire that is for left prospects in like Iowa
[into the void voice] here's my latest on AI, and what it will do to us unless we steer it. also some photos of and bits about my dog. seekingsignal.substack.com/p/the-dog-wi...
The Dog With The Big Brain
I.
seekingsignal.substack.com
June 24, 2025 at 4:18 PM
[into the void voice] here's my latest on AI, and what it will do to us unless we steer it. also some photos of and bits about my dog. seekingsignal.substack.com/p/the-dog-wi...
this site's reaction to JD Vance is fine because that's the space, but you also have to recognize that the space is limited because of the shielding. it's fine, I'd just rather the people here own it. It's a bunch of people at one end of a yardstick quibbling over millimeters. and that's ok.
June 19, 2025 at 12:37 AM
this site's reaction to JD Vance is fine because that's the space, but you also have to recognize that the space is limited because of the shielding. it's fine, I'd just rather the people here own it. It's a bunch of people at one end of a yardstick quibbling over millimeters. and that's ok.
Today I've written a little reflection on the way we communicate, and how it applies to AI, and how we can do a better job of building empathy. It touches on some serious philosophy but doesn't go too deep on it. READ:
On Clay Pots And The Shapes We Understand
Toddlers often teach you important things about the world.
seekingsignal.substack.com
June 17, 2025 at 2:05 PM
Today I've written a little reflection on the way we communicate, and how it applies to AI, and how we can do a better job of building empathy. It touches on some serious philosophy but doesn't go too deep on it. READ:
This website doesn't seem to believe it, but AI is going to continue shaping the way we do things. I think we should point it in the right direction. Here's a sketch for how AI can help us perform an epistemic audit of our institutions.
seekingsignal.substack.com/p/the-accoun...
seekingsignal.substack.com/p/the-accoun...
The Accountability Machine
How AI Can Force Institutions To Live Up To Their Ideals
seekingsignal.substack.com
June 11, 2025 at 1:38 PM
This website doesn't seem to believe it, but AI is going to continue shaping the way we do things. I think we should point it in the right direction. Here's a sketch for how AI can help us perform an epistemic audit of our institutions.
seekingsignal.substack.com/p/the-accoun...
seekingsignal.substack.com/p/the-accoun...
the modal opinion on bluesky seems to be that the people criticizing the messaging discipline and tactics of the protesters are huge idiots that just don't understand. the bluesky crowd also does not see the logical problem with this opinion. but sure, no new voices needed over here!
June 9, 2025 at 4:17 PM
the modal opinion on bluesky seems to be that the people criticizing the messaging discipline and tactics of the protesters are huge idiots that just don't understand. the bluesky crowd also does not see the logical problem with this opinion. but sure, no new voices needed over here!
I know the Yarvin dude is overexposed and more publications would be better off if they would simply not write about him. But the New Yorker piece is illuminating in one way: it shows him as a confused boy still trying to get kudos by showing off how many books he has read. Sad in many ways.
June 2, 2025 at 3:58 PM
I know the Yarvin dude is overexposed and more publications would be better off if they would simply not write about him. But the New Yorker piece is illuminating in one way: it shows him as a confused boy still trying to get kudos by showing off how many books he has read. Sad in many ways.
I wrote about institutional atrophy, and finding a sense of the good again. Ultimately, I think this is why the support is tepid or collapsing on the left.
seekingsignal.substack.com/p/we-know-a-...
seekingsignal.substack.com/p/we-know-a-...
We Know A Good Life When We See It
Against Cynicism, Technocracy, and Tribalism—A Case for Naming the Good
seekingsignal.substack.com
May 20, 2025 at 11:45 AM
I wrote about institutional atrophy, and finding a sense of the good again. Ultimately, I think this is why the support is tepid or collapsing on the left.
seekingsignal.substack.com/p/we-know-a-...
seekingsignal.substack.com/p/we-know-a-...
I'm not here all the time, so as a relatively infrequent lurker, I have to tell y'all this site is getting way worse.
May 15, 2025 at 8:09 PM
I'm not here all the time, so as a relatively infrequent lurker, I have to tell y'all this site is getting way worse.