Thomas A Caswell

No, “AI” is not a Stochastic Parrot 🦜 I’ve recently come across a new flavor of AI denialism making the rounds.

"AI" is not a stochastic parrot.🦜
I wrote this piece a couple weeks ago, but it was hard for me to finish up given AI's role in society and war over the past few weeks. I should share it at some point though. Not perfect, but here it is.
medium.com/@margarmitch...

A reminder that the war against Iran is entirely at President Trump's whim and he refuses to explain it.

We need better Democrats.

Not a single dollar more for Trump’s illegal war.

They are torturing and killing people in our concentration camps, and I wish more people were actively bothered by that

Dear Democrats
Don't elect someone with a Nazi tattoo
Thank you

No, I just noticed we have 20x the pypi downloads compared to conda downloads for mpl and it made me sad.

I called the most on-message man on TV with some good news about private equity and housing. YouTube video by Senator Elizabeth Warren

I called the most on-message man on TV with some good news about private equity and housing.

If you currently use uv, please consider pixi instead.

So disappointed in the behavior of the US men’s hockey team disrespecting the women’s team like that. The fact that it’s been this long and NO ONE has apologized for their shitty behavior makes it even worse. Just another day being a woman in trumps America 🫠

Team USA’s gold medal MAGA celebration was everything the NHL has been trying to avoid The NHL has spent years investing in inclusivity. One game changed that.

Yep, this =>Team USA’s celebration was everything the NHL has been trying to push against, now it’s on full display. (NHL, how did this even happen?) www.sbnation.com/nhl/1104402/...

Disgusting display by the US men's hockey team as they laugh along with a violent misogynist as he mocks the women's team. No solidarity among Olympians with these guys.

these people treat being called racist like it is a slur, and treat slurs like they're mere differences of opinion

This email exchange makes me so angry that the only way I can cope is by focusing simply on the absolute murder being done to the innocent semicolon.

I can't get over this number: in 2007, there were 360,000 newspaper jobs. Now, there are 80,000. "My local paper sucked!" Sure. What sucks even more? The void. "I get all my news from the Guardian!" No, the Guardian doesn't report on your town council, your school board, local cops.

The FBI Director, everyone. You paid for it.

Where is Nancy Guthrie?

Why has Lesley Groff not been indicted?

⏰ The deadline to submit to #SciPy2026 is approaching!

Don’t miss your chance to speak at this incredible conference and share your work with the scientific Python community 💙

Submit your proposal here 👉 pretalx.com/scipy-2026/cfp

a goose honking at another goose

I'D JUST LIKE TO INTERJECT FOR A MOMENT. WHAT YOU'RE REFERRING TO AS LINUX IS IN FACT GNU/LINUX, OR AS I'VE RECENTLY TAKEN TO CALLING IT, GNU PLUS LINUX. LINUX IS NOT AN OPERATING SYSTEM UNTO ITSELF, BUT RATHER ANOTHER FREE COMPONENT OF A FULLY FUNCTIONING GNU SYSTEM

It is hard to watch NSF bow so easily to their destroyers.

Vannevar Bush formed the NSF out of the US response to the fascists in WWII.

For reference, building 8-12 new beamlines at NSLS-II over the next 12 years or so is also about 500M$

ICE Moved Detainees to Previously Undisclosed Floor of 26 Federal Plaza A federal judge ordered the Trump administration to reduce overcrowding and squalid conditions at a Manhattan holding room. Months later, he finds ICE merely shifted floors.

ICE officials under a judge’s order to clean up squalid conditions on the 10th floor of 26 Federal Plaza detained migrants on a secret floor where they decided that ruling didn’t apply, attorneys for the Trump administration said Monday.

www.thecity.nyc/2026/02/09/2...

GM: Charisma check.

Mamdani: [rolls natural 20]

GM: that’s a d6 how did you

Mamdani: [direct to camera] Did you know you can check out board games at your local public library? 😊

Same in Los Angeles, though the media doesn’t care to report on that at all

Tomorrow at @oaklibrary.bsky.social! This one will be fun. There's no better way to make a libertarian cry than to go to your local public library.
See you there!

the Republican Party will get worse before it gets worse, but God willing it will also get a whole lot smaller

🤔 Thinking about submitting a proposal to SciPy 2026 and want feedback or guidance? We’ve got you covered ✨

🚀 Join our Proposal Writing Office Hours
📅 First session is next week
👉 Register here: www.scipy2026.scipy.org#officehours

I will simply never recover from reading this sentence:

"Since Georgia implemented work requirements in 2020, they have spent twice as much on Deloitte consultants and administrative costs as on healthcare for people."

Federal troop deployments to US cities cost taxpayers $496M and counting The Trump administration's deployment of federal troops to six U.S. cities has cost taxpayers about $496 million through December.

Tell everyone you know

HALF A BILLION $

apnews.com/article/trum...

Bruce Springsteen - Streets Of Minneapolis (Official Audio) YouTube video by Bruce Springsteen

I wrote this song on Saturday, recorded it yesterday and released it to you today in response to the state terror being visited on the city of Minneapolis. It’s dedicated to the people of Minneapolis, our innocent immigrant neighbors and in memory of Alex Pretti and Renee Good.

Stay free