Molly Kleinman
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mollyak.bsky.social
Molly Kleinman
@mollyak.bsky.social
1.7K followers 980 following 780 posts
Managing director of the Science, Technology, and Public Policy program at UMich. Tech policy, abolition, bicycles, libraries, cats.

I explain why you shouldn’t let computers tell you what to do.
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mollyak.bsky.social
The Ann Arbor District Library! aadl.org/collections
A screenshot of the Ann Arbor district library’s collection formats, with “art prints” highlighted.
November 13, 2025 at 3:22 AM
mollyak.bsky.social
It was cold out but I biked to work anyway. Turns out it wasn’t cold enough; the snow melted off the top of the building and landed on my bike. When I went to leave I was like, “I don’t remember all this snow when I parked. Guess I’m even less observant than I realized.” Then I got closer. Ope.
A very bundled person. The bottom half of their face is wrapped in a bright red scarf. The top is covered by a bright blue helmet with a pride sticker on it. In the middle there are glasses and a cold red nose. A bike from above. The ground is covered in slushy snow. The bike basket is full of slushy snow. The saddle is spattered with snow and ice.
November 11, 2025 at 11:41 PM
mollyak.bsky.social
Yogi Bear smiling and running away with a picnic basket, captioned: I could smell the onions and mustard.
November 4, 2025 at 6:24 PM
mollyak.bsky.social
Is this anything? I couldn’t help myself.
Yogi Bear smiling and running away with a picnic basket. Caption: “I could smell the onions and mustard” A raccoon peeking out of a dumpster. Caption: “I could smell the onions and mustard”
November 4, 2025 at 4:21 PM
mollyak.bsky.social
This quote hit me hard. Sending love and power to these kids, and to Chicago.
Screenshot from the article: With less than a week of planning, Lopez said she was pleased with the large turnout and made sure her fellow students knew the risks of protesting, including the presence of federal agents, telling them “they will not stop because you are children” and “they do not care,” she said.
October 29, 2025 at 12:57 AM
mollyak.bsky.social
Girl, wash your face.
A giant statue of a human head, with hands covering the face. It’s surrounded by scaffolding and a team of people in hard hats and yellow vests are all around, scrubbing it with long brushes.
October 23, 2025 at 12:25 AM
mollyak.bsky.social
“the girlfriend of one of the founders of antifa”
Woody Guthrie’s guitar, on which he has painted the words “This machine kills fascists.”
October 10, 2025 at 2:16 AM
mollyak.bsky.social
Sometimes for bedtime I introduce the tween to ancient internet relics. Tonight it was Cake Wrecks. This one had me laughing so hard I almost died. It took a full minute to save the picture because I couldn’t see from all the tears in my eyes. This decorator really did a great job.
A large, white, rectangular sheet cake. There is a large expanse of smooth white frosting. Printed (not script or cursive, print) in blue icing, so small it only takes up one quadrant of the cake, are the words “Great job.” No punctuation. Left justified. Great job.
October 2, 2025 at 3:14 AM
mollyak.bsky.social
I designed this a few years ago but never got it made.
A yellow road sign with black lettering that reads: Pedestrian Safety Bricks. Brandish as needed
September 25, 2025 at 6:30 PM
mollyak.bsky.social
Look at this nonsense. As if they were equivalent.
Print headline of the New York Times today. It says: Military Might, Protest Power. Stacked below are two images, one of the protest in NYC, one a carefully selected perspective on Trump’s big boy birthday parade that still doesn’t totally manage to hide how sparsely attended it was.
June 15, 2025 at 3:25 PM
mollyak.bsky.social
Last night another vulnerable road user was killed in Ann Arbor. Gather at 201 E Huron St (parking lot) tomorrow (05/07) at 6:50PM for a die-in to tell City Council that safety can't wait. #a2council
Photo of a massive die-in of bicyclists in Amsterdam in 1977. Text of the flyer reads: Protect human lives now! Slow the cars, narrow the roads, MDOT out of A2. Die-in. Wednesday 5/7 @ 6:50 pm. 201 E. Huron St. On Monday might a driver killed a wheelchair user while he was crossing 5 lanes of Huron St. in a crosswalk. A week before, on the same street, another pedestrian was hit. Timeline: 2015: “Ann Arbor adopts pedestrian safety report, sets goal of zero fatalities by 2025” 2023: “Official crash data for 2023: Worst Year for Ann Arbor pedestrian crashes since 2014 2025: On track to be worse than 2023, with at least 10 serious injuries and deaths in the first 4 months.
May 6, 2025 at 8:19 PM
mollyak.bsky.social
Lovely day for making sign deliveries! Get your own, and find other ways to support the library lot campaign, at supportaadl.com #a2council
A stack of cheerful blue yard signs that say “Vote yes on A&B” are strapped to the front basket of a bright orange cargo bike.
May 3, 2025 at 5:51 PM
mollyak.bsky.social
Yard signs are here! Show your neighbors you dream of a new downtown library on both the current site and the parking lot next door with one of these nifty signs! Sign up to get a sign, volunteer, and/or donate at supportaadl.com #a2council
A cheerful blue yard sign that says “VOTE YES ON A & B for your downtown library. August 5 2025.” except the ampersand is a check box
May 2, 2025 at 12:59 AM
mollyak.bsky.social
This is the ideal male body. You may not like it but this is what peak performance looks like.
An old illustration showing a man in a top hat and 1800’s era fitted coat and trousers riding a velocipede, a pedal-less predecessor to the bicycle that basically works like a balance bike for adults. In the background are other men in top hats, some wearing coats with tails, all riding various styles of velocipede.
April 24, 2025 at 4:37 PM
mollyak.bsky.social
I am so excited for Ann Arbor & for our library! It’s a chance to finally deliver on our hopes & dreams of a vibrant, thriving landmark in the center of our city. I’m so lucky to serve as a library trustee & grateful to everyone who worked to get us this far. #a2council www.mlive.com/news/ann-arb...
A selfie of me, a white woman with brown hair and glasses standing in front of the library truck, which has a colorful design behind the words LIBRARY STUFF
February 24, 2025 at 9:50 PM
mollyak.bsky.social
Time for my annual February posting of A Primer, by Bob Hicok, a very accurate poem about Michigan. An excerpt:
www.newyorker.com/magazine/200...
An excerpt from the poem: “February is thirteen months long in Michigan. We are a people who by February want to kill the sky for being so gray and angry at us. “What did we do?” is the state motto. “
February 20, 2025 at 2:55 AM
mollyak.bsky.social
I am finally watching AOC’s 90 minute coup explainer, and the way she makes air quotes every time she says “A.I.” is giving me life.
AOC making air quotes with a very skeptical look on her face.
February 9, 2025 at 8:13 PM
mollyak.bsky.social
Without downloading any new pictures where are you at mentally
A cartoon: Cute bird labeled “early bird,” cute owl labeled “night owl,” dead-looking bird flat on its back saying “ugh.” labeled “permanently exhausted pigeon.” By Gemma Correll
February 4, 2025 at 4:17 AM
mollyak.bsky.social
Are you fucking kidding me with this right now? This is what the Dems think earning my support looks like?!
Email in an inbox. From: The Democrats. Subject: Earning your support. Opening paragraph of the same email. “Molly, less than 1 percent of the people reading this message have contributed to the Democratic Party so far this year. Our records show that you haven’t had a chance to make your first contribution of 2025 yet, and we’re reaching out to ask if you’ll consider changing that ahead of our first end-of-month fundraising deadline of the year. Take a look at your record below, and then we hope you’ll give us a chance to earn your support:”
January 31, 2025 at 11:30 PM
mollyak.bsky.social
Last night, completely unprompted, my 12yo declared that I should read more graphic novels, and proceeded to pull 5 from her shelves to get me started. Perfect timing to keep me off my phone and out of a doomscroll loop. These are her selections (with bonus Sardine photobomb.)
Five colorful graphic novels laid out on a table: My Aunt is a Monster by Reimena Yee, Travis Daventhorpe For the Win by Wes Molebash, Billy Johnson and His Duck are Explorers by Matthew New, ¡¡Manu!! by Kelly Fernández, and City of Dragons: The Awakening Storm by Jaimal Yogis & Vivian Truong. Same books, but now there is a small, short-haired, orange cat standing on them and staring directly into the camera.
January 21, 2025 at 7:00 PM
mollyak.bsky.social
lol, that was my strategy from the beginning! The cats have been ridiculous lately.
A small fluffy orange cat curled in a ball, hugging her own floofy tail, peeking at the camera out of one eye.
January 19, 2025 at 1:05 AM
mollyak.bsky.social
Here’s the script I banged out, feel free to use it when you call your senators asking them to vote against the xenophobic, unconstitutional Laken Riley Act. If you have a better one I’d love to borrow it.
I’m calling to ask the Senator to please vote against the Laken Riley Act. I was disappointed that the senator voted to advance the bill for debate, but she still has a chance to do the right thing. This anti-immigrant bill is xenophobic, destructive, and probably unconstitutional. Immigrants are our neighbors, our friends, and valued members of our communities. Democrats are supposed to be the party of inclusion and welcome. Not chasing after the republicans trying to be as cruel as they are. I hope the senator will vote against the Laken Riley Act. Thank you.
January 15, 2025 at 1:53 PM
mollyak.bsky.social
I think it’s time to bring my most viral tweet over from the bad place.
A tweet: Every time you see the word “smart” user to describe a device, replace it with “surveillance.” Surveillance watch. Surveillance streetlights. Surveillance oven. Dated 11:17am, 2/5/22
January 6, 2025 at 12:41 PM
mollyak.bsky.social
I’ve long been on the record as opposed to camera-based traffic enforcement due to concerns about privacy, safety, and bias. I’ve been coming around as evidence of its effectiveness in reducing crashes piles up, and I’m on board with this approach. However…

www.mlive.com/news/2024/12...
Screenshot from the article: The work zone legislation would require the creation of an Automated Speed Enforcement System Unit within Michigan State Police. An estimated $985,000 would need to be allocated to fund six full-time positions within the unit. Total costs for recording equipment and outfitting was estimated around $20,000.
December 11, 2024 at 1:51 PM
mollyak.bsky.social
Now that it’s cold Sardine keeps getting trapped in the kids’ rooms, especially the kid with the extra hot heating vent. I was searching everywhere to make sure she wasn’t trapped before I started my work day, could not figure out where she was. Finally remembered her super secret living room vent.
Small orange cat in a shadowy corner behind a cozy chair. She is lying down, on top of and almost completely obscuring a floor vent.
December 2, 2024 at 2:01 PM