Pooyan
@pooyan.xyz
Pseudo-Physicist | PhD student | Playing with Gravitational-Wave detectors @ UC Riverside | Linux Enthusiast | Mustache-bearer | Runner | Feminist | 🇪🇺🏳️🌈
Apparently UC has a contract with OpnenAI to provide access to ChatGPT and "cutting-edge AI tools" on its campuses with the goal of "enhanc[ing] learning, research, and operational efficiency".
I can't even read the contract because they do not deem my browser worthy of their support.
I can't even read the contract because they do not deem my browser worthy of their support.
November 25, 2025 at 6:09 PM
Apparently UC has a contract with OpnenAI to provide access to ChatGPT and "cutting-edge AI tools" on its campuses with the goal of "enhanc[ing] learning, research, and operational efficiency".
I can't even read the contract because they do not deem my browser worthy of their support.
I can't even read the contract because they do not deem my browser worthy of their support.
Dear academics, please do not go around and tell the students to use LLMs for exam preparations. Especially not in response to someone who has concerns about the rules and regulations about that exam. That shouldn't be what we are teaching the kids.
November 23, 2025 at 5:00 AM
Dear academics, please do not go around and tell the students to use LLMs for exam preparations. Especially not in response to someone who has concerns about the rules and regulations about that exam. That shouldn't be what we are teaching the kids.
Making phone calls is such an stressful task that I've been procrastinating on making some necessary doctor appointments for ages, one from more than a year and half ago. Made one appointment this morning. Three more to go! 🥲
November 20, 2025 at 6:54 PM
Making phone calls is such an stressful task that I've been procrastinating on making some necessary doctor appointments for ages, one from more than a year and half ago. Made one appointment this morning. Three more to go! 🥲
Found my plan B in career paths, in case we continue the current shenanigans with destroying the whole society and the scientific infrastructure with it.
November 18, 2025 at 4:20 AM
Found my plan B in career paths, in case we continue the current shenanigans with destroying the whole society and the scientific infrastructure with it.
A tutorial for the academics on how to handle SA cases.
November 13, 2025 at 4:37 AM
A tutorial for the academics on how to handle SA cases.
All the content, misogyny, sexism, classism, and bigotry aside, why are these people emailing each other like that? The coherence of their email text is what I expect of third-graders texting their friends.
November 13, 2025 at 3:06 AM
All the content, misogyny, sexism, classism, and bigotry aside, why are these people emailing each other like that? The coherence of their email text is what I expect of third-graders texting their friends.
Got my copy of @mskellymhayes.bsky.social 's new book. Take a look at the list of letters. They are much needed letters of hope and solidarity from virtual friends for the current (and any other) times.
November 10, 2025 at 6:57 PM
Got my copy of @mskellymhayes.bsky.social 's new book. Take a look at the list of letters. They are much needed letters of hope and solidarity from virtual friends for the current (and any other) times.
Reposted by Pooyan
I just want everyone to have the experience of living in dignity with access to sufficient food, safe housing, needed medical care, high quality education, and time to engage with what sparks their curiosity and spirit
this should not be controversial 🫠
this should not be controversial 🫠
November 10, 2025 at 3:16 AM
I just want everyone to have the experience of living in dignity with access to sufficient food, safe housing, needed medical care, high quality education, and time to engage with what sparks their curiosity and spirit
this should not be controversial 🫠
this should not be controversial 🫠
There's no way that I can convince myself that "Operation Midway Blitz" is not the name of a Nazi Germany military operation during the invasion of Poland or France.
JUST IN: As promised, the Trump administration is appealing U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis’ preliminary injunction last week restricting the use of tear gas and other force against protesters and media during “Operation Midway Blitz.”
November 10, 2025 at 5:16 AM
There's no way that I can convince myself that "Operation Midway Blitz" is not the name of a Nazi Germany military operation during the invasion of Poland or France.
Today is a morning of hope with Mamdani's win, and the other local elections. Let this be a reminder for us to organize, to radicalize around human dignity, and to keep the good fight. Things are rough and the future is still dark. But on days like today the stars are shining bright in the dark.
November 5, 2025 at 2:48 PM
Today is a morning of hope with Mamdani's win, and the other local elections. Let this be a reminder for us to organize, to radicalize around human dignity, and to keep the good fight. Things are rough and the future is still dark. But on days like today the stars are shining bright in the dark.
I've been binge watching DS9 to escape the reality. And the result? Last night I had a nightmare about being held in a Cardassian ICE concentration camp. 😑
November 3, 2025 at 6:25 AM
I've been binge watching DS9 to escape the reality. And the result? Last night I had a nightmare about being held in a Cardassian ICE concentration camp. 😑
Shoot! I'll never be able to run for any offices if people figured out how many aunts and uncles I had growing up. I didn't even know how some of them were related to me. Too bad I never sexually assaulted anyone to look favorable to NY Post.
October 28, 2025 at 8:54 PM
Shoot! I'll never be able to run for any offices if people figured out how many aunts and uncles I had growing up. I didn't even know how some of them were related to me. Too bad I never sexually assaulted anyone to look favorable to NY Post.
My lack of understanding of baseball is such that a while back someone was saying that the Bluejays are doing this and that, and I was genuinely baffled how any of those things could apply to a bird. :))
October 28, 2025 at 6:43 AM
My lack of understanding of baseball is such that a while back someone was saying that the Bluejays are doing this and that, and I was genuinely baffled how any of those things could apply to a bird. :))
Riverside just blew the whole galaxy up, our sophisticated expert futuristic AI reports.
October 25, 2025 at 4:36 PM
Riverside just blew the whole galaxy up, our sophisticated expert futuristic AI reports.
Tap water is something that I have strong political opinions about. Access to clean water is a human right. It bothers me so much when I see how many people use "commercial" bottled water in their everyday use. If our water quality is low, the solution is not to give money to some corporation, -->
How democratic is your water utility? It turns out that those with elected leaders perform better.
This week's @latimes.com Boiling Point newsletter features new research by @kbdobbin.bsky.social and @alfencl.bsky.social on water democracy in California www.latimes.com/environment/...
This week's @latimes.com Boiling Point newsletter features new research by @kbdobbin.bsky.social and @alfencl.bsky.social on water democracy in California www.latimes.com/environment/...
The safety of your water could be related to how your water utility is run
Some water utilities are run by elected leaders, others aren't. Research shows utilities with elected managers tend to deliver more affordable drinking water.
www.latimes.com
October 24, 2025 at 4:51 AM
Tap water is something that I have strong political opinions about. Access to clean water is a human right. It bothers me so much when I see how many people use "commercial" bottled water in their everyday use. If our water quality is low, the solution is not to give money to some corporation, -->
There is no justification for using ChatGPT, or other "AI" products, in an academic setting. I'll heavily judge you if you're a "just ask ChatGPT" person.
Do you have any extremely niche, but serious, ethical stances?
October 24, 2025 at 12:34 AM
There is no justification for using ChatGPT, or other "AI" products, in an academic setting. I'll heavily judge you if you're a "just ask ChatGPT" person.
The PhD student's constant existential crisis of being so excited about what you're doing, and at the same time, being too depressed to really do it.
October 22, 2025 at 3:45 PM
The PhD student's constant existential crisis of being so excited about what you're doing, and at the same time, being too depressed to really do it.
Not niche at all, but serious and basic:
- Profit in inherently immoral. Keeping the society away from it could help fixing a lot of problems.
- Sexism, racism, and other forms of bigotry should be absolutely unacceptable and intolerable by every single one of us.
- Profit in inherently immoral. Keeping the society away from it could help fixing a lot of problems.
- Sexism, racism, and other forms of bigotry should be absolutely unacceptable and intolerable by every single one of us.
Do you have any extremely niche, but serious, ethical stances?
October 20, 2025 at 6:22 AM
Not niche at all, but serious and basic:
- Profit in inherently immoral. Keeping the society away from it could help fixing a lot of problems.
- Sexism, racism, and other forms of bigotry should be absolutely unacceptable and intolerable by every single one of us.
- Profit in inherently immoral. Keeping the society away from it could help fixing a lot of problems.
- Sexism, racism, and other forms of bigotry should be absolutely unacceptable and intolerable by every single one of us.
ICE is indeed our state-sponsored terrorist organization. Not only we must abolish ICE, but also should abolish our cruel prison system.
After spending 43 years in prison for a crime he didn't commit, evidence hidden by the prosecution reversed his conviction. Rather than finally enjoying freedom, ICE abducted him for deportation
Depraved.
www.miamiherald.com/news/local/i...
Depraved.
www.miamiherald.com/news/local/i...
He was wrongfully imprisoned for 43 years. Moments after being released, ICE took him
Subramanyam “Subu” Vedam now faces deportation.
www.miamiherald.com
October 12, 2025 at 4:31 AM
ICE is indeed our state-sponsored terrorist organization. Not only we must abolish ICE, but also should abolish our cruel prison system.
I know that it's too much to ask for this in the current full-fledged Fascist regime, but who the f*** decided that Amber alerts should be posted on Xitter? An official government-issued emergency communication is notified to people solely on a for-profit website that can not be viewed without ...
September 8, 2025 at 12:27 AM
I know that it's too much to ask for this in the current full-fledged Fascist regime, but who the f*** decided that Amber alerts should be posted on Xitter? An official government-issued emergency communication is notified to people solely on a for-profit website that can not be viewed without ...
This is fantastic! 😍
Silly nerdy question for some nerdy astronomers out there:
How many millisecond pulsars, with how much stability, do we need to encode our phone's GPS scale location on earth? How should we even encode all the dynamical parts?
Silly nerdy question for some nerdy astronomers out there:
How many millisecond pulsars, with how much stability, do we need to encode our phone's GPS scale location on earth? How should we even encode all the dynamical parts?
And so, over last few days, decided for #NeutronStarWeek to try my hand at building a new pulsar map, this time using millisecond pulsars!
Their period is still encoded in binary (scaled in microsec).
Here's the result! I think it turned out ok(ish). Data from PSRCAT.
Come get us, Aliens!
3/3 📡🔭
Their period is still encoded in binary (scaled in microsec).
Here's the result! I think it turned out ok(ish). Data from PSRCAT.
Come get us, Aliens!
3/3 📡🔭
August 22, 2025 at 4:42 AM
This is fantastic! 😍
Silly nerdy question for some nerdy astronomers out there:
How many millisecond pulsars, with how much stability, do we need to encode our phone's GPS scale location on earth? How should we even encode all the dynamical parts?
Silly nerdy question for some nerdy astronomers out there:
How many millisecond pulsars, with how much stability, do we need to encode our phone's GPS scale location on earth? How should we even encode all the dynamical parts?
Reposted by Pooyan
This is the most important time to invest in love and community. This is the time to be expansive, even as so much in the world is pulling inwards. Joy is our rebellion. We take care of each other, and we stand up for each other.
What's your take on the moment we're living through in 50 words or less. [you able to quote post]
August 18, 2025 at 5:56 AM
This is the most important time to invest in love and community. This is the time to be expansive, even as so much in the world is pulling inwards. Joy is our rebellion. We take care of each other, and we stand up for each other.
Same thing here. Decided to keep my (almost civil) comments to myself, as I didn't want them to be the only things seen from me online. 🫣
August 8, 2025 at 6:22 AM
Same thing here. Decided to keep my (almost civil) comments to myself, as I didn't want them to be the only things seen from me online. 🫣
The other day, someone introduced me to their friend as "This is Pooyan, he is in the Physics department and advocates for the gays and the under-represented". I haven't ever been so satisfied of an introduction. :)
July 4, 2025 at 9:30 PM
The other day, someone introduced me to their friend as "This is Pooyan, he is in the Physics department and advocates for the gays and the under-represented". I haven't ever been so satisfied of an introduction. :)
Just so that we scientists have an idea of the scale of the bill that just passed in the congress, the money that is appropriated to ICE in the one BBB is more than the sum total of 2026 budget requests for NASA, NSF, NIH, CDC, NOAA, and the whole of DoE.
July 4, 2025 at 9:15 PM
Just so that we scientists have an idea of the scale of the bill that just passed in the congress, the money that is appropriated to ICE in the one BBB is more than the sum total of 2026 budget requests for NASA, NSF, NIH, CDC, NOAA, and the whole of DoE.