Dean Eckles
@eckles.bsky.social
networks, contagion, causality
faculty at MIT
faculty at MIT
Reposted by Dean Eckles
The U.S. military is being used inside the United States. There's a lot we don't know about how, why, and under what authorities.
Today, Lawfare is launching a new project–which includes a tracker and a map–to follow where and how the military is being domestically deployed.
Today, Lawfare is launching a new project–which includes a tracker and a map–to follow where and how the military is being domestically deployed.
November 10, 2025 at 11:14 PM
The U.S. military is being used inside the United States. There's a lot we don't know about how, why, and under what authorities.
Today, Lawfare is launching a new project–which includes a tracker and a map–to follow where and how the military is being domestically deployed.
Today, Lawfare is launching a new project–which includes a tracker and a map–to follow where and how the military is being domestically deployed.
Reposted by Dean Eckles
the "tech debt" metaphor primes people for bad intuitions
debts have a strict lending schedule, and refinancing if you're in a pinch
debtors don't wake up Tuesday at 3am and set part of your business afire unless you pay them off
the only part that really fits is the carrying cost
debts have a strict lending schedule, and refinancing if you're in a pinch
debtors don't wake up Tuesday at 3am and set part of your business afire unless you pay them off
the only part that really fits is the carrying cost
November 9, 2025 at 7:34 PM
the "tech debt" metaphor primes people for bad intuitions
debts have a strict lending schedule, and refinancing if you're in a pinch
debtors don't wake up Tuesday at 3am and set part of your business afire unless you pay them off
the only part that really fits is the carrying cost
debts have a strict lending schedule, and refinancing if you're in a pinch
debtors don't wake up Tuesday at 3am and set part of your business afire unless you pay them off
the only part that really fits is the carrying cost
Reposted by Dean Eckles
Not ICE. Border Patrol. They’re wearing Border Patrol uniforms with clear Border Patrol patches on them.
There are many videos of ICE officers doing outrageous stuff but a lot of the absolute worst videos are of Border Patrol, who are basically Bovino and Miller’s most aggressive tool right now.
There are many videos of ICE officers doing outrageous stuff but a lot of the absolute worst videos are of Border Patrol, who are basically Bovino and Miller’s most aggressive tool right now.
ICE agents in Chicago violently detain a non verbal autistic man for being “non compliant”
He couldn’t “comply” because of his disability…they don’t care
This is not the first time they’ve gone after a disabled person
They target the most vulnerable because it’s an easy way to meet their quota
He couldn’t “comply” because of his disability…they don’t care
This is not the first time they’ve gone after a disabled person
They target the most vulnerable because it’s an easy way to meet their quota
November 8, 2025 at 4:48 PM
Not ICE. Border Patrol. They’re wearing Border Patrol uniforms with clear Border Patrol patches on them.
There are many videos of ICE officers doing outrageous stuff but a lot of the absolute worst videos are of Border Patrol, who are basically Bovino and Miller’s most aggressive tool right now.
There are many videos of ICE officers doing outrageous stuff but a lot of the absolute worst videos are of Border Patrol, who are basically Bovino and Miller’s most aggressive tool right now.
Reposted by Dean Eckles
Haha, this from the New Yorker is getting passed around the math dork community. I did a comic about this kind of thought a few years ago: www.smbc-comics.com/comic/commut...
November 7, 2025 at 5:26 PM
Haha, this from the New Yorker is getting passed around the math dork community. I did a comic about this kind of thought a few years ago: www.smbc-comics.com/comic/commut...
Reposted by Dean Eckles
Feels like the opening to a very bad sci-fi film.
November 6, 2025 at 11:27 PM
Feels like the opening to a very bad sci-fi film.
Reposted by Dean Eckles
gotta be one of my favorite recent conversations. i recommend it (not because i'm in it, but because @micahflee.com broke this down so anyone could understand both the 'technical' side and the political side of why this means so much to people.)
I was interviewed on the Kill Switch podcast about @iceblock.app, the mutual aid group @norcalresist.bsky.social, and the insane situation we’re in where Apple and Google are collaborating with Trump to censor apps at will podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/k...
maybe ICEBlock was 'activism theater,' but is banning it protecting us?
Podcast Episode · kill switch · 10/22/2025 · 35m
podcasts.apple.com
November 5, 2025 at 4:40 PM
gotta be one of my favorite recent conversations. i recommend it (not because i'm in it, but because @micahflee.com broke this down so anyone could understand both the 'technical' side and the political side of why this means so much to people.)
Reposted by Dean Eckles
🧠⚙️ Interested in decision theory+cogsci meets AI? Want to create methods for rigorously designing & evaluating human-AI workflows?
I'm recruiting PhDs to work on:
🎯 Stat foundations of multi-agent collaboration
🌫️ Model uncertainty & meta-cognition
🔎 Interpretability
💬 LLMs in behavioral science
I'm recruiting PhDs to work on:
🎯 Stat foundations of multi-agent collaboration
🌫️ Model uncertainty & meta-cognition
🔎 Interpretability
💬 LLMs in behavioral science
November 5, 2025 at 4:40 PM
🧠⚙️ Interested in decision theory+cogsci meets AI? Want to create methods for rigorously designing & evaluating human-AI workflows?
I'm recruiting PhDs to work on:
🎯 Stat foundations of multi-agent collaboration
🌫️ Model uncertainty & meta-cognition
🔎 Interpretability
💬 LLMs in behavioral science
I'm recruiting PhDs to work on:
🎯 Stat foundations of multi-agent collaboration
🌫️ Model uncertainty & meta-cognition
🔎 Interpretability
💬 LLMs in behavioral science
Reposted by Dean Eckles
The aesthetic of an authoritarian not befitting the civic traditions of the United States
With large portraits of himself, 24-karat golden adornments and a triumphal arch, President Trump is asserting his power through what might be called an imperial aesthetic, or visual cues designed to project personal command and grandeur.
The imperial aesthetic at the heart of Donald Trump’s presidency
In addition to his accumulation of political power, Trump has embraced visual cues designed to project personal command and grandeur.
www.washingtonpost.com
November 4, 2025 at 2:37 AM
The aesthetic of an authoritarian not befitting the civic traditions of the United States
Reposted by Dean Eckles
This is quite a story: the US employed every strongarm tactic available, including personal threats against delegates and their families, to derail an agreement on reducing shipping emissions that was almost finalized. on.ft.com/47lq3dZ
November 3, 2025 at 2:11 PM
This is quite a story: the US employed every strongarm tactic available, including personal threats against delegates and their families, to derail an agreement on reducing shipping emissions that was almost finalized. on.ft.com/47lq3dZ
Reposted by Dean Eckles
Reposted by Dean Eckles
159. AP-GfK, 2009: "How much do you enjoy each of the following things about weddings? How about participating in group dances such as the Bunny Hop and the Electric Slide at the reception?"
September 3, 2025 at 6:26 PM
159. AP-GfK, 2009: "How much do you enjoy each of the following things about weddings? How about participating in group dances such as the Bunny Hop and the Electric Slide at the reception?"
Reposted by Dean Eckles
Why analysis informing a decision shouldn’t try and predict the decision it’s informing: kucharski.substack.com/p/why-do-peo...
November 1, 2025 at 10:34 AM
Why analysis informing a decision shouldn’t try and predict the decision it’s informing: kucharski.substack.com/p/why-do-peo...
Reposted by Dean Eckles
Nothing to worry about, totally normal
November 2, 2025 at 2:43 AM
Nothing to worry about, totally normal
Reposted by Dean Eckles
Journalism tip: If someone says drop the story, that’s a sign to keep reporting.
Back reporters who won’t flinch. Support our independent journalism ➜ propub.li/43MugoG
Back reporters who won’t flinch. Support our independent journalism ➜ propub.li/43MugoG
October 30, 2025 at 9:21 PM
Journalism tip: If someone says drop the story, that’s a sign to keep reporting.
Back reporters who won’t flinch. Support our independent journalism ➜ propub.li/43MugoG
Back reporters who won’t flinch. Support our independent journalism ➜ propub.li/43MugoG
Reposted by Dean Eckles
There still seems to be a lot of confusion about significance testing in psych. No, p-values *don’t* become useless at large N. This flawed point also used to be framed as "too much power". But power isn't the problem – it's 1) unbalanced error rates and 2) the (lack of a) SESOI. 1/ >
But here's, the thing, p values and significance become useless at such large sample sizes. When you're dividing the coefficient by the SE and the sample size is in the tens of thousands, EVERYTHING IS SIGNIFICANT. All you're testing is whether the coefficient is different than zero.
October 31, 2025 at 8:13 AM
There still seems to be a lot of confusion about significance testing in psych. No, p-values *don’t* become useless at large N. This flawed point also used to be framed as "too much power". But power isn't the problem – it's 1) unbalanced error rates and 2) the (lack of a) SESOI. 1/ >
Reposted by Dean Eckles
Also, vote @burhanazeem.bsky.social and the rest of the ABC slate for a brighter future in Cambridge!
November 1, 2025 at 1:06 PM
Also, vote @burhanazeem.bsky.social and the rest of the ABC slate for a brighter future in Cambridge!
Reposted by Dean Eckles
What if people appreciate having an abundance of content and communication, more than they feel overloaded by it?
@annisch.bsky.social et al decided to have a look. Their results? "We found that appreciation for abundance was about twice as common as overload".
Paper: journalqd.org/article/view...
@annisch.bsky.social et al decided to have a look. Their results? "We found that appreciation for abundance was about twice as common as overload".
Paper: journalqd.org/article/view...
October 31, 2025 at 9:33 AM
What if people appreciate having an abundance of content and communication, more than they feel overloaded by it?
@annisch.bsky.social et al decided to have a look. Their results? "We found that appreciation for abundance was about twice as common as overload".
Paper: journalqd.org/article/view...
@annisch.bsky.social et al decided to have a look. Their results? "We found that appreciation for abundance was about twice as common as overload".
Paper: journalqd.org/article/view...
Reposted by Dean Eckles
Also new in v1.109: custom feed operators now receive more interaction events.
If you run a custom feed, now you'll know when people like, quote, repost, reply, and see posts in your feed. All valuable signals that can help you drive higher-quality recommendations in your feeds.
If you run a custom feed, now you'll know when people like, quote, repost, reply, and see posts in your feed. All valuable signals that can help you drive higher-quality recommendations in your feeds.
October 27, 2025 at 10:11 PM
Also new in v1.109: custom feed operators now receive more interaction events.
If you run a custom feed, now you'll know when people like, quote, repost, reply, and see posts in your feed. All valuable signals that can help you drive higher-quality recommendations in your feeds.
If you run a custom feed, now you'll know when people like, quote, repost, reply, and see posts in your feed. All valuable signals that can help you drive higher-quality recommendations in your feeds.
Reposted by Dean Eckles
🎇New package alert @wired.com! This one has been in the works for months. If WIRED was going to tackle AI -- something we cover daily -- we had to go big. So here are 17 different stories about the way AI is changing us, even as the technology itself keeps moving www.wired.com/ai-issue/
AI of a Thousand Faces
What happens now that AI is everywhere and in everything? WIRED can’t tell the future, but we can try to make sense of it. Behold: 17 readings from the furthest reaches of the AI age.
www.wired.com
October 27, 2025 at 11:21 AM
🎇New package alert @wired.com! This one has been in the works for months. If WIRED was going to tackle AI -- something we cover daily -- we had to go big. So here are 17 different stories about the way AI is changing us, even as the technology itself keeps moving www.wired.com/ai-issue/
Reposted by Dean Eckles
Appendix A7 most striking graph for me:
October 26, 2025 at 5:52 PM
Appendix A7 most striking graph for me:
Reposted by Dean Eckles
At a certain point in Turkey, virtually every non-public person I interviewed refused to give their last name. Eventually I stopped even writing "______ declined to give his/her last name for fear of government reprisal," because it became redundant, and editors understood. But here's the thing...
October 26, 2025 at 2:14 PM
At a certain point in Turkey, virtually every non-public person I interviewed refused to give their last name. Eventually I stopped even writing "______ declined to give his/her last name for fear of government reprisal," because it became redundant, and editors understood. But here's the thing...
Reposted by Dean Eckles
An embarrassingly obvious point, but...
This. Is. Illegal.
If anything like the rule of law were in force, Trump couldn't arbitrarily increase a tariff because he is annoyed.
In important and increasing ways, the rule of law in the US no longer exists.
www.cnn.com/2025/10/25/b...
This. Is. Illegal.
If anything like the rule of law were in force, Trump couldn't arbitrarily increase a tariff because he is annoyed.
In important and increasing ways, the rule of law in the US no longer exists.
www.cnn.com/2025/10/25/b...
Trump says he’s increasing tariffs on Canada by 10% after Ontario’s Reagan ad | CNN Business
President Donald Trump said Saturday he is increasing the tariff on Canada by 10% over current levels, further escalating trade tensions over what he called a “fake” ad that featured parts of an anti-...
www.cnn.com
October 25, 2025 at 9:38 PM
An embarrassingly obvious point, but...
This. Is. Illegal.
If anything like the rule of law were in force, Trump couldn't arbitrarily increase a tariff because he is annoyed.
In important and increasing ways, the rule of law in the US no longer exists.
www.cnn.com/2025/10/25/b...
This. Is. Illegal.
If anything like the rule of law were in force, Trump couldn't arbitrarily increase a tariff because he is annoyed.
In important and increasing ways, the rule of law in the US no longer exists.
www.cnn.com/2025/10/25/b...
Reposted by Dean Eckles
For the second time, Cato has sued DoJ & FBI for internal records regarding the Bureau’s use (or misuse) of FISA Section 702 surveillance powers. The de facto destruction of PCLOB & Patel's elimination of an internal audit unit make such oversight litigation imperative.
www.cato.org/blog/has-tea...
www.cato.org/blog/has-tea...
Cato Sues FBI Over FISA Records, Again
Two things are certain. The first is that the FISA Section 702 program is set to expire in late April 2026. The second is that the kind of public interest FOIA litigation Cato is engaged in on this ca...
www.cato.org
October 24, 2025 at 5:28 PM
For the second time, Cato has sued DoJ & FBI for internal records regarding the Bureau’s use (or misuse) of FISA Section 702 surveillance powers. The de facto destruction of PCLOB & Patel's elimination of an internal audit unit make such oversight litigation imperative.
www.cato.org/blog/has-tea...
www.cato.org/blog/has-tea...
So what do people think of using (quasi-)Poisson regression for a binary outcome?
How about in discrete & continuous time hazard models?
Crazy or actually sensible?
How about in discrete & continuous time hazard models?
Crazy or actually sensible?
October 24, 2025 at 2:23 AM
So what do people think of using (quasi-)Poisson regression for a binary outcome?
How about in discrete & continuous time hazard models?
Crazy or actually sensible?
How about in discrete & continuous time hazard models?
Crazy or actually sensible?