Andy Orban
@andyorban.bsky.social
Architect, husband & dad, lives in Charlottesville. Bikes for fun and for transport.
Pinned
Andy Orban
@andyorban.bsky.social
· Aug 8
I kinda like these intro posts, here goes mine. Basic bio: solo architect, biking & running enthusiast, 3 kids in public schools, married to the awesomest wife. November 2016 was radicalizing for me and got me involved in activism. That morphed over the years to a focus on effecting local politics.
I need to update my post now that my oldest is headed off to college this fall, I'll have only 2 of my kids in public schools. The rest still tracks, my wife is awesome as ever and local politics continues to be the place where one can effect the most tangible changes.
Trump take train safety
The nation’s freight railroads are going to be able to try relying more on technology and inspect their tracks less often after the federal government approved their waiver request on Friday.
Railroads will be allowed to reduce inspections and rely more on technology to spot track problems
The nation’s freight railroads are going to be able to try relying more on technology and inspect their tracks less often after the federal government approved their waiver request on Friday.
bit.ly
December 5, 2025 at 9:47 PM
Trump take train safety
Reposted by Andy Orban
Again: the Purpose of LLM- type "AI" bullshit engines is not to tell you the truth or to lie to you, but to tell you something you are statistically determined to be more likely to accept, irrespective of facts— which makes them perfect for accelerating dis- & misinformation & persuasive propaganda…
AI dialogues shifted political support by 2 to 3 points in trials, eclipsing standard ads. Roughly one-third of this effect persisted for a month. However, models optimized for persuasion proved more factually error-prone.
#MLSky
#MLSky
AI chatbots can persuade voters to change their minds
Conversations with AI can sway people’s political views. Concerningly, a chatbot’s facts are not always accurate, especially when it supports right-wing positions.
www.nature.com
December 5, 2025 at 3:35 PM
Again: the Purpose of LLM- type "AI" bullshit engines is not to tell you the truth or to lie to you, but to tell you something you are statistically determined to be more likely to accept, irrespective of facts— which makes them perfect for accelerating dis- & misinformation & persuasive propaganda…
Reposted by Andy Orban
Pantone 2026: "I don't see color"
December 5, 2025 at 12:01 AM
Pantone 2026: "I don't see color"
Reposted by Andy Orban
They're not even trying to appear nonpartisan anymore.
December 4, 2025 at 11:05 PM
They're not even trying to appear nonpartisan anymore.
Reposted by Andy Orban
Maybe there is no “cease fire.” How many reports of slaughter will we have to read along with the lie of a “cease fire?”
The Israeli military launched a deadly strike on Gaza on Wednesday after saying Hamas had attacked its soldiers, the latest violent clash to test the cease-fire agreed to almost two months ago.
Deadly Attacks in Gaza Test Cease-Fire as Body of Another Captive Is Returned
Israel launched a military strike after it said Hamas militants attacked its soldiers, the latest clashes in the two months since a truce was signed.
nyti.ms
December 4, 2025 at 4:57 PM
Maybe there is no “cease fire.” How many reports of slaughter will we have to read along with the lie of a “cease fire?”
"Mission Accomplished"
December 4, 2025 at 5:03 PM
"Mission Accomplished"
Sure why not let's try again to overcome the intense car-brain of downtown business owner community
would love to straight up close the vehicular crossings on the downtown mall
Bids are now being accepted for the removal and replacement of the brick and granite pavers at the Downtown Mall Crossings on 2nd Street and 4th Street, which will include custom drop inlets, concrete pipes, concrete curbs, and sidewalks. Bids are due on 1/9 and works is scheduled to begin on 2/16.
December 4, 2025 at 4:46 PM
Sure why not let's try again to overcome the intense car-brain of downtown business owner community
Stop using Spotify plz.
December 4, 2025 at 1:13 AM
Stop using Spotify plz.
What I like about the "AI" floorplan is that it's a perfect encapsulation of the effect where at a glancing view it looks fine but the minute you investigate any detail it completely falls apart. Makes visual the bullshit that in other contexts (like the written word) is more abstract.
December 2, 2025 at 7:37 PM
What I like about the "AI" floorplan is that it's a perfect encapsulation of the effect where at a glancing view it looks fine but the minute you investigate any detail it completely falls apart. Makes visual the bullshit that in other contexts (like the written word) is more abstract.
Reposted by Andy Orban
we didn't know until the vote, where Torres mentioned that she still didn't understand why Kochis wouldn't sign the same MOU the previous chief did. the answer was that Kochis didn't feel it was legally enforceable, and asked his officers not to follow state laws on school grounds.
December 2, 2025 at 1:11 PM
we didn't know until the vote, where Torres mentioned that she still didn't understand why Kochis wouldn't sign the same MOU the previous chief did. the answer was that Kochis didn't feel it was legally enforceable, and asked his officers not to follow state laws on school grounds.
Oh shit, I didn't know this detail. So CPD is partly forcing the school admin into accepting cops back in schools. (It doesn't help that there are several people in admin who have been wanting cops back in the schools and have been steering this whole process. Plus feckless SB members.)
but one of the unspoken reasons we're in this situation is that CPD didn't want to work with the school district to make the current safety model work. Chief Kochis refused to sign the preexisting (non-SRO) MOU! nobody wanted creative solutions, just easy ones!
December 2, 2025 at 1:06 PM
Oh shit, I didn't know this detail. So CPD is partly forcing the school admin into accepting cops back in schools. (It doesn't help that there are several people in admin who have been wanting cops back in the schools and have been steering this whole process. Plus feckless SB members.)
Reposted by Andy Orban
In a nutshell. I keep thinking about what kind of future we are handing the coming generations.
The kids are fine. The society we are gifting them is fucked.
December 1, 2025 at 8:50 PM
In a nutshell. I keep thinking about what kind of future we are handing the coming generations.
Caveat Emptor
Zillow Removes Climate Risk Scores From Home Listings
www.nytimes.com
November 30, 2025 at 3:38 PM
Caveat Emptor
Reposted by Andy Orban
For the past six weeks, an AI Facebook account has been pulling my history posts on Instagram and slopping out new captions, so I’ve been feeding it poison pills and its followers are having meltdowns in the comments. It’s been pretty spectacular.
November 30, 2025 at 2:10 AM
For the past six weeks, an AI Facebook account has been pulling my history posts on Instagram and slopping out new captions, so I’ve been feeding it poison pills and its followers are having meltdowns in the comments. It’s been pretty spectacular.
Whaddya say @profanity.accountant? Personally I don't think I cuss enough
November 30, 2025 at 2:40 AM
Whaddya say @profanity.accountant? Personally I don't think I cuss enough
Damn I didn't realize how many concerts people go to. "Multiple times"?
November 27, 2025 at 11:57 PM
Damn I didn't realize how many concerts people go to. "Multiple times"?
Sometimes it's just fine to be ignored
Gen X-ers Have Money to Spend. Why Are Retailers Ignoring Them?
www.nytimes.com
November 27, 2025 at 10:59 PM
Sometimes it's just fine to be ignored
Reposted by Andy Orban
y'know, if tech companies weren't so fired up to call every single thing "AI" it would be a lot easier to distinguish "ML spam filter that is well-sandboxed and tuned on your emails" from "giant context and IP-eroding foundation model that makes people paranoid and unhappy"
since the "google is now training gemini on your email contents" thing keeps bumping around here: it's _not happening_. I say this not to defend google but because I know a lot of people that have broken their filtering and made their lives much more annoying from sheer misinformation.
The malwarebytes Google opting-your-emails-into-ai-training thing is not true. The post is based on one bad tweet.
I know anti-tech lamenting is a Bluesky core principle, but please use the same judgement you would for any other clickbait.
www.theverge.com/news/826902/...
I know anti-tech lamenting is a Bluesky core principle, but please use the same judgement you would for any other clickbait.
www.theverge.com/news/826902/...
November 23, 2025 at 12:58 PM
y'know, if tech companies weren't so fired up to call every single thing "AI" it would be a lot easier to distinguish "ML spam filter that is well-sandboxed and tuned on your emails" from "giant context and IP-eroding foundation model that makes people paranoid and unhappy"
Reposted by Andy Orban
Today was the busiest distribution day of the year so far at Nelson County Pantry. It was quite rainy, so we got to see a spectacular double rainbow ✨🌈✨
November 22, 2025 at 7:12 PM
Today was the busiest distribution day of the year so far at Nelson County Pantry. It was quite rainy, so we got to see a spectacular double rainbow ✨🌈✨
Reposted by Andy Orban
The Cavalier Daily, UVA's student newspaper, hasn't had a single FOIA request fulfilled since *July 1*. This is flatly illegal. Senator Deeds shared UVA's FOIA response with the newspaper, which allowed them to do this reporting.
November 20, 2025 at 12:52 AM
The Cavalier Daily, UVA's student newspaper, hasn't had a single FOIA request fulfilled since *July 1*. This is flatly illegal. Senator Deeds shared UVA's FOIA response with the newspaper, which allowed them to do this reporting.