Sam Tobin-Hochstadt
@samth.bsky.social
Associate Professor, IU Computer Science ·
Core Developer, @racketlang.bsky.social ·
Member, TC39 ·
Handler, Gravymaker ·
Bike Advocate, Bloomington IN
Core Developer, @racketlang.bsky.social ·
Member, TC39 ·
Handler, Gravymaker ·
Bike Advocate, Bloomington IN
That's true but what connection do you think that has to the point I was making?
November 10, 2025 at 4:15 PM
That's true but what connection do you think that has to the point I was making?
I genuinely don't know what point you're trying to make here.
November 10, 2025 at 4:12 PM
I genuinely don't know what point you're trying to make here.
The dispute is fundamentally between people who think saying the latter is necessary for understanding the present, and people who think saying the latter is a sign you secretly think the former.
November 10, 2025 at 3:29 PM
The dispute is fundamentally between people who think saying the latter is necessary for understanding the present, and people who think saying the latter is a sign you secretly think the former.
I feel like desire to reopen the government because the shutdown is hurting people and general love of deals are both major factors.
November 10, 2025 at 3:56 AM
I feel like desire to reopen the government because the shutdown is hurting people and general love of deals are both major factors.
My city council has been having a lot of debates about this; it's totally cursed.
November 7, 2025 at 4:23 PM
My city council has been having a lot of debates about this; it's totally cursed.
It's notable (and depressing) that OpenAI got rid of the model (4o) that killed this kid, and then brought it back because of customer outrage.
November 7, 2025 at 3:41 AM
It's notable (and depressing) that OpenAI got rid of the model (4o) that killed this kid, and then brought it back because of customer outrage.
I think the biggest factor is the enormous desire on the part of everyone to do the thing. There's a reason that doctors and medicine vastly predate their ability to actually help; education research is the same.
November 6, 2025 at 7:14 PM
I think the biggest factor is the enormous desire on the part of everyone to do the thing. There's a reason that doctors and medicine vastly predate their ability to actually help; education research is the same.
But lobe-finned fish has the same problem as "fish" as a category -- it's not monophyletic unless it includes my cat.
November 4, 2025 at 4:09 PM
But lobe-finned fish has the same problem as "fish" as a category -- it's not monophyletic unless it includes my cat.
My impression is that biologists in fact use that definition, but I'm open to correction -- what is a more commonly used one?
November 4, 2025 at 11:22 AM
My impression is that biologists in fact use that definition, but I'm open to correction -- what is a more commonly used one?
I'm confused, the definition I gave doesn't have special consideration for them?
November 4, 2025 at 3:03 AM
I'm confused, the definition I gave doesn't have special consideration for them?
There really are rules that will ban ICE cars in the future in California but it seems very implausible that they are relevant to our current politics.
November 3, 2025 at 3:09 AM
There really are rules that will ban ICE cars in the future in California but it seems very implausible that they are relevant to our current politics.
It's true that this definition will probably hurt Tiktaalik's feelings but since he's been extinct for 300 million years we don't have to care. :)
(Incidentally Tiktaalik is a cool animal that I only learned about thanks to having kids who like dinosaurs.)
(Incidentally Tiktaalik is a cool animal that I only learned about thanks to having kids who like dinosaurs.)
November 3, 2025 at 2:32 AM
It's true that this definition will probably hurt Tiktaalik's feelings but since he's been extinct for 300 million years we don't have to care. :)
(Incidentally Tiktaalik is a cool animal that I only learned about thanks to having kids who like dinosaurs.)
(Incidentally Tiktaalik is a cool animal that I only learned about thanks to having kids who like dinosaurs.)
I think my son's 2nd grade class would give the same answer as my definition to all of those cases (less sure what they think about eels).
November 2, 2025 at 9:59 PM
I think my son's 2nd grade class would give the same answer as my definition to all of those cases (less sure what they think about eels).
I don't think this is true for fish specifically; "all vertebrates except tetrapods" is a pretty reasonable definition that gets the cases right. It just isn't monophyletic.
November 2, 2025 at 5:52 PM
I don't think this is true for fish specifically; "all vertebrates except tetrapods" is a pretty reasonable definition that gets the cases right. It just isn't monophyletic.
It's certainly true that Harris didn't campaign on it, but the single biggest legislative achievement of the Biden administration was a climate bill. So I think "didn't campaign on it" is a bit disingenuous.
November 1, 2025 at 6:08 PM
It's certainly true that Harris didn't campaign on it, but the single biggest legislative achievement of the Biden administration was a climate bill. So I think "didn't campaign on it" is a bit disingenuous.
If you interpret "rising crime" to mean "unsheltered homelessness and urban disorder" then it makes more sense.
October 30, 2025 at 1:44 AM
If you interpret "rising crime" to mean "unsheltered homelessness and urban disorder" then it makes more sense.
Isn't that partly what he's saying, that political scientists aren't mostly experts on coming up with predictive models?
(As an aside, I think part of this dispute is just whether you think "building models that test well in future elections" is the main goal.)
(As an aside, I think part of this dispute is just whether you think "building models that test well in future elections" is the main goal.)
October 28, 2025 at 5:02 PM
Isn't that partly what he's saying, that political scientists aren't mostly experts on coming up with predictive models?
(As an aside, I think part of this dispute is just whether you think "building models that test well in future elections" is the main goal.)
(As an aside, I think part of this dispute is just whether you think "building models that test well in future elections" is the main goal.)
As someone who uses "cousin once removed" more than anyone else I know (and fits the stereotype otherwise too), my kids in fact refer to my wife's cousin as "aunt".
October 28, 2025 at 4:14 PM
As someone who uses "cousin once removed" more than anyone else I know (and fits the stereotype otherwise too), my kids in fact refer to my wife's cousin as "aunt".
If you look at the Twitter thread it turns out positive in log scale.
October 28, 2025 at 2:24 AM
If you look at the Twitter thread it turns out positive in log scale.
Even the definitely-accurate "there are fewer conservative professors because the modern conservative movement is fundamentally hostile to academic inquiry" is in that category.
October 23, 2025 at 1:51 AM
Even the definitely-accurate "there are fewer conservative professors because the modern conservative movement is fundamentally hostile to academic inquiry" is in that category.
In 2009 on reddit I was apparently already jaded about telling people about the relationship between scheme and lisp macro systems. Another vote for "nothing ever changes"
October 23, 2025 at 1:48 AM
In 2009 on reddit I was apparently already jaded about telling people about the relationship between scheme and lisp macro systems. Another vote for "nothing ever changes"
Platner has one.
October 21, 2025 at 3:15 PM
Platner has one.