Chris Kanich
@kaytwo.org
I get unreasonably excited about Chicago, cybersecurity, education, and local impact.
https://kaytwo.org
https://kaytwo.org
Reposted by Chris Kanich
This is going to hurt American competitiveness and result in fewer scientific advancements, fewer chances to train the next generation of scientists, and a lower quality of life for everyone. We need to reverse these harmful changes to our critical scientific infrastructure.
Exclusive: National Science Foundation staff were told today that the agency’s 37 divisions—across all eight directorates—are being abolished and the number of programs within those divisions will be drastically reduced.
Exclusive: NSF faces radical shake-up as officials abolish its 37 divisions
Changes seen as a response to presidential directives on what research to fund
scim.ag
May 9, 2025 at 4:21 AM
This is going to hurt American competitiveness and result in fewer scientific advancements, fewer chances to train the next generation of scientists, and a lower quality of life for everyone. We need to reverse these harmful changes to our critical scientific infrastructure.
Reposted by Chris Kanich
This is one of the worst violations of research ethics I've ever seen. Manipulating people in online communities using deception, without consent, is not "low risk" and, as evidenced by the discourse in this Reddit post, resulted in harm.
Great thread from Sarah, and I have additional thoughts. 🧵
Great thread from Sarah, and I have additional thoughts. 🧵
The mods of r/ChangeMyView shared the sub was the subject of a study to test the persuasiveness of LLMs & that they didn't consent. There’s a lot that went wrong, so here’s a 🧵 unpacking it, along with some ideas for how to do research with online communities ethically. tinyurl.com/59tpt988
From the changemyview community on Reddit
Explore this post and more from the changemyview community
tinyurl.com
April 26, 2025 at 10:25 PM
This is one of the worst violations of research ethics I've ever seen. Manipulating people in online communities using deception, without consent, is not "low risk" and, as evidenced by the discourse in this Reddit post, resulted in harm.
Great thread from Sarah, and I have additional thoughts. 🧵
Great thread from Sarah, and I have additional thoughts. 🧵
One of the many reasons to fix things here in the USA rather than search for greener pastures.
Cute, but unless these other countries are willing to spend as much as the US on science, the brain drain will be to other professions (some completely unrelated to science).
Trump brain drain starts global tug-of-war for the best science minds
Some of America’s brightest are increasingly uncomfortable in a country where ideology threatens to constrain science
www.thetimes.com
April 26, 2025 at 1:07 PM
One of the many reasons to fix things here in the USA rather than search for greener pastures.
Reposted by Chris Kanich
Even accepting the premise that AI produces useful writing (which no one should), using AI in education is like using a forklift at the gym. The weights do not actually need to be moved from place to place. That is not the work. The work is what happens within you.
April 15, 2025 at 2:56 AM
Even accepting the premise that AI produces useful writing (which no one should), using AI in education is like using a forklift at the gym. The weights do not actually need to be moved from place to place. That is not the work. The work is what happens within you.
While I can see LLMs in general as being potentially useful for CS education, copilot-style autocomplete is unequivocally harmful to learning. Reading this paper feels like watching a horror movie, where I'm screaming "turn it off! just turn it off!" at the screen constantly
dl.acm.org
April 23, 2025 at 7:29 PM
While I can see LLMs in general as being potentially useful for CS education, copilot-style autocomplete is unequivocally harmful to learning. Reading this paper feels like watching a horror movie, where I'm screaming "turn it off! just turn it off!" at the screen constantly
Reposted by Chris Kanich
Academia isn’t perfect, but it offers a rare space to pursue knowledge for its own sake. If research were fully privatized, only profit-driven questions would get asked. Yet many of the most transformative discoveries began as curiosity-driven inquiries whose value wasn’t clear for years.
April 20, 2025 at 10:29 PM
Academia isn’t perfect, but it offers a rare space to pursue knowledge for its own sake. If research were fully privatized, only profit-driven questions would get asked. Yet many of the most transformative discoveries began as curiosity-driven inquiries whose value wasn’t clear for years.
A lot to chew through in this fantastic piece by @randomwalker.bsky.social and @sayash.bsky.social knightcolumbia.org/content/ai-a... The models exist now as "Normal Technology," how we use them and how society adapts to them is where the impactful and interesting work is happening.
April 17, 2025 at 3:39 PM
A lot to chew through in this fantastic piece by @randomwalker.bsky.social and @sayash.bsky.social knightcolumbia.org/content/ai-a... The models exist now as "Normal Technology," how we use them and how society adapts to them is where the impactful and interesting work is happening.
Reposted by Chris Kanich
This is the best metaphor I have seen that may actually resonate with the students I teach re LLM usage.
Even accepting the premise that AI produces useful writing (which no one should), using AI in education is like using a forklift at the gym. The weights do not actually need to be moved from place to place. That is not the work. The work is what happens within you.
April 15, 2025 at 12:56 PM
This is the best metaphor I have seen that may actually resonate with the students I teach re LLM usage.
The Aussies understand this - probably one of my favorite takeaways from a Bluey episode
April 8, 2025 at 1:56 PM
The Aussies understand this - probably one of my favorite takeaways from a Bluey episode
Reposted by Chris Kanich
“From April 14-18, select UBC graduate programs at UBC Vancouver will re-open their applications for US citizens to be considered for Sept 2025 or Jan 2026 entry - they are ready to provide quick admissions decisions for these applicants“ #gradstudent #gradschool
www.grad.ubc.ca/us-applicant...
www.grad.ubc.ca/us-applicant...
US Applicant Week
www.grad.ubc.ca
April 8, 2025 at 3:23 AM
“From April 14-18, select UBC graduate programs at UBC Vancouver will re-open their applications for US citizens to be considered for Sept 2025 or Jan 2026 entry - they are ready to provide quick admissions decisions for these applicants“ #gradstudent #gradschool
www.grad.ubc.ca/us-applicant...
www.grad.ubc.ca/us-applicant...
Reposted by Chris Kanich
The advice I'm hearing is that students on visas should be checking SEVIS daily. Ideally, students' colleges & universities could do that for them - if they have the capacity.
April 7, 2025 at 3:17 PM
The advice I'm hearing is that students on visas should be checking SEVIS daily. Ideally, students' colleges & universities could do that for them - if they have the capacity.
Fantastic work by @tressiemcphd.bsky.social as always www.nytimes.com/2025/03/29/o...
reminds me of the @authorjmac.bsky.social quote:
I want AI to do my laundry and dishes so that I can do art and writing, not for AI to do my art and writing so that I can do my laundry and dishes.
reminds me of the @authorjmac.bsky.social quote:
I want AI to do my laundry and dishes so that I can do art and writing, not for AI to do my art and writing so that I can do my laundry and dishes.
Opinion | The Tech Fantasy That Powers A.I. Is Running on Fumes (Gift Article)
A.I. is just what we need in the post-fact era: less research and more predicting what we want to hear.
www.nytimes.com
April 2, 2025 at 10:14 PM
Fantastic work by @tressiemcphd.bsky.social as always www.nytimes.com/2025/03/29/o...
reminds me of the @authorjmac.bsky.social quote:
I want AI to do my laundry and dishes so that I can do art and writing, not for AI to do my art and writing so that I can do my laundry and dishes.
reminds me of the @authorjmac.bsky.social quote:
I want AI to do my laundry and dishes so that I can do art and writing, not for AI to do my art and writing so that I can do my laundry and dishes.
if a computer is a bicycle for the mind, LLMs are zero gravity for the mind: seems magical, allows you to do things you never thought possible, causes massive muscle atrophy if you don't religiously exercise, and over the long term causes irreparable bodily harm
April 2, 2025 at 2:07 PM
if a computer is a bicycle for the mind, LLMs are zero gravity for the mind: seems magical, allows you to do things you never thought possible, causes massive muscle atrophy if you don't religiously exercise, and over the long term causes irreparable bodily harm
Reposted by Chris Kanich
More Dr. Xiaofeng Wang details. Here is a timeline document that’s been going around the community.
April 1, 2025 at 10:40 PM
More Dr. Xiaofeng Wang details. Here is a timeline document that’s been going around the community.
New information about XiaoFeng Wang from this CNBC article:
* IU terminated his tenured faculty position
* Wang contacted IU's AAUP president as IU conducted what had first appeared to be a “routine” investigation over a grant application and how he reported a publication of his curriculum vitae.
* IU terminated his tenured faculty position
* Wang contacted IU's AAUP president as IU conducted what had first appeared to be a “routine” investigation over a grant application and how he reported a publication of his curriculum vitae.
Indiana U. fired cybersecurity professor XiaoFeng Wang on day FBI searched his homes: Union
XiaoFeng Wang's research at Indiana University focused on security and privacy issues in mobile and cloud computing, and privacy issues in human genomic data.
www.cnbc.com
April 1, 2025 at 5:49 PM
New information about XiaoFeng Wang from this CNBC article:
* IU terminated his tenured faculty position
* Wang contacted IU's AAUP president as IU conducted what had first appeared to be a “routine” investigation over a grant application and how he reported a publication of his curriculum vitae.
* IU terminated his tenured faculty position
* Wang contacted IU's AAUP president as IU conducted what had first appeared to be a “routine” investigation over a grant application and how he reported a publication of his curriculum vitae.
Reposted by Chris Kanich
@matthewdgreen.bsky.social We (privacy/FoE folks) talk a lot about the "chilling effect" of certain policies on citizens, but this is an unwelcome case study. I know some academics at IU, but I don't want to ask what's going on, *in case answering lands them in trouble that could cost their job* 1/2
April 1, 2025 at 12:58 PM
@matthewdgreen.bsky.social We (privacy/FoE folks) talk a lot about the "chilling effect" of certain policies on citizens, but this is an unwelcome case study. I know some academics at IU, but I don't want to ask what's going on, *in case answering lands them in trouble that could cost their job* 1/2
If any Chicago FOIA/Pacer enthusiasts can help out with this - developing story in my research community where we really don’t know what’s going on: talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/sketc...
March 30, 2025 at 12:45 PM
If any Chicago FOIA/Pacer enthusiasts can help out with this - developing story in my research community where we really don’t know what’s going on: talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/sketc...
Love this framing - the million dollar question is really, how do we keep the baby and throw out the bath water?
i feel compelled to remind everyone that chatgpt/LLMs are functionally the *opposite* of an actual expert.
the more your problems are unusual or novel, the more likely LLMS are to be wrong. they are least helpful when it's most important
the more your problems are unusual or novel, the more likely LLMS are to be wrong. they are least helpful when it's most important
March 19, 2025 at 3:51 PM
Love this framing - the million dollar question is really, how do we keep the baby and throw out the bath water?
Reposted by Chris Kanich
"The mythology of founders and Silicon Valley too often obscures the indispensable role of American taxpayers in the innovation economy"—my recent remarks to @bloomberg.com about the critical importance of federally funded research. www.bloomberg.com/news/newslet...
Trump’s Big Gamble on the Future of AI Development
The new administration rethinks public funding for research, leaving it to private companies to chart the path ahead.
www.bloomberg.com
March 8, 2025 at 8:36 AM
"The mythology of founders and Silicon Valley too often obscures the indispensable role of American taxpayers in the innovation economy"—my recent remarks to @bloomberg.com about the critical importance of federally funded research. www.bloomberg.com/news/newslet...
Matt makes some great points here, but disappearing messages ARE available by default - you just have to speak them into the voice messages feature. They even get delivered with speech to text nowadays, and have a “$user kept a message from you” notification if someone chooses to save your message.
So here’s a simple request to Apple. Apple iMessage needs to enable “disappearing messages.” And they need to do it soon. blog.cryptographyengineering.com/2025/03/01/d...
Dear Apple: add “Disappearing Messages” to iMessage right now
This is a cryptography blog and I always feel the need to apologize for any post that isn’t “straight cryptography.” I’m actually getting a little tired of apologizing for i…
blog.cryptographyengineering.com
March 6, 2025 at 10:28 AM
Matt makes some great points here, but disappearing messages ARE available by default - you just have to speak them into the voice messages feature. They even get delivered with speech to text nowadays, and have a “$user kept a message from you” notification if someone chooses to save your message.
We already have the technology for better toasters, we just need the willpower to make them m.youtube.com/watch?v=1Ofx... (courtesy the always amazing @techconnectify.bsky.social)
March 2, 2025 at 2:12 PM
We already have the technology for better toasters, we just need the willpower to make them m.youtube.com/watch?v=1Ofx... (courtesy the always amazing @techconnectify.bsky.social)
yolo indeed! Not only did Bluesky introduce an awesome video scrolling feature, anyone that wants to can deploy their own swiping video feed, check out mine: bsky.app/profile/kayt... great launch @hailey.at and team!!!
January 20, 2025 at 11:54 AM
yolo indeed! Not only did Bluesky introduce an awesome video scrolling feature, anyone that wants to can deploy their own swiping video feed, check out mine: bsky.app/profile/kayt... great launch @hailey.at and team!!!
Got that swipe through videos itch that you can't scratch anymore? On @mcuban.bsky.social's advice I built TikTok... but using videos posted to BlueSky. It was a lot easier than I thought it would be! mvp.foru.page This is totally an MVP - slow and a bit buggy but usually works!
mvp.foru.page
January 19, 2025 at 10:15 AM
Got that swipe through videos itch that you can't scratch anymore? On @mcuban.bsky.social's advice I built TikTok... but using videos posted to BlueSky. It was a lot easier than I thought it would be! mvp.foru.page This is totally an MVP - slow and a bit buggy but usually works!
days like these really make you pine for a city charter, don't they! @joefergchicago.bsky.social
Mayor Johnson has delayed the final vote on the 2025 budget.
Mayor Delays Final Vote On 2025 Budget
Mayor Brandon Johnson's budget package narrowly passed through City Council committees earlier this week. But the spending plan, which includes a $68.5 million property tax hike, remains deeply…
buff.ly
December 13, 2024 at 2:49 PM
days like these really make you pine for a city charter, don't they! @joefergchicago.bsky.social