Bennett
@bennettmcintosh.com
Science & Technology Studies | History of Sci & Tech || How do data & scientific communities make each other? Current projects on: social genomics; environmental regulation
No offense but if you follow me with no bio I will probably block
No offense but if you follow me with no bio I will probably block
Pinned
Bennett
@bennettmcintosh.com
· 29d
In v2 of our preprint on "Adversarial Reanalysis," Kelsey Ichikawa, @nicolecnelson.bsky.social, & added our take on Gold Standard Science as an example of how #OpenData challenges science's existing tools for self-governance
osf.io/preprints/me... #sts #metascience
osf.io/preprints/me... #sts #metascience
Reposted by Bennett
tbh i think the best way to resist co-opted language is not to be more abstract, but more literal and descriptive. that's what i like about "predictive models" – regardless of how you feel about their use, they are undeniably models that make predictions
November 23, 2025 at 3:05 AM
tbh i think the best way to resist co-opted language is not to be more abstract, but more literal and descriptive. that's what i like about "predictive models" – regardless of how you feel about their use, they are undeniably models that make predictions
"The FDA now considers a food manufacturer’s list of where it sent its recalled products to be confidential business information that cannot be shared with local food safety officials unless they have signed a privacy agreement."
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH
www.healthbeat.org/2025/11/22/b...
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH
www.healthbeat.org/2025/11/22/b...
FDA delays left recalled baby formula on store shelves, food safety expert says
The leader of the Association of Food and Drug Officials told Healthbeat that the FDA has been slow to share distribution lists for recalled ByHeart formula. “I’m not sure they recognize the sense of ...
www.healthbeat.org
November 23, 2025 at 3:42 AM
"The FDA now considers a food manufacturer’s list of where it sent its recalled products to be confidential business information that cannot be shared with local food safety officials unless they have signed a privacy agreement."
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH
www.healthbeat.org/2025/11/22/b...
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH
www.healthbeat.org/2025/11/22/b...
Reposted by Bennett
Big kid has had to explain to friends why they're not allowed on Roblox and it goes a bit like "because my dad works in tech"
Every parent whose career has to do with online safety also bans Roblox.
Every game designer parent I know bans Roblox for their kids
November 23, 2025 at 3:09 AM
Big kid has had to explain to friends why they're not allowed on Roblox and it goes a bit like "because my dad works in tech"
Reposted by Bennett
If you have been sharing that Malwarebytes article on the Gmail thing, you should note the giant correction up top.
www.malwarebytes.com/blog/news/20...
www.malwarebytes.com/blog/news/20...
November 22, 2025 at 9:44 PM
If you have been sharing that Malwarebytes article on the Gmail thing, you should note the giant correction up top.
www.malwarebytes.com/blog/news/20...
www.malwarebytes.com/blog/news/20...
Reposted by Bennett
I have a deep moral ambivalence about the amount of footage we capture of "wilderness" and planetary and galactic phenomena. It seems to transform relations in sad and troubling ways, ultimately (even as I also often enjoy birdcams, etc.)
On the one hand, Ring cameras are being used by law enforcement to surveil people. On the other hand, this…
A slew of camera networks, bolstered by doorbell cams, helped researchers connect meteorites to their asteroid origins and create a geologic map of the asteroid belt.
buff.ly/NVLsHlT
Read more in our July issue: bit.ly/Eos-Jul2025
buff.ly/NVLsHlT
Read more in our July issue: bit.ly/Eos-Jul2025
July 27, 2025 at 7:29 PM
I have a deep moral ambivalence about the amount of footage we capture of "wilderness" and planetary and galactic phenomena. It seems to transform relations in sad and troubling ways, ultimately (even as I also often enjoy birdcams, etc.)
Reposted by Bennett
Please! A bit of precision here would do a lot of good.
Sure, using AI instead of machine learning may make the media pay more attention to your study.
But do you really want the people reading the stories to believe that your results came from asking ChatGPT? And yes, they will believe that.
Sure, using AI instead of machine learning may make the media pay more attention to your study.
But do you really want the people reading the stories to believe that your results came from asking ChatGPT? And yes, they will believe that.
Journalist challenge: Use “Machine Learning” when you mean machine learning and “LLM” when you mean LLM. Ditch “AI” as a catch-all term, it’s not useful for readers and it helps companies trying to confuse the public by obscuring the roles played by different technologies. 🧪
November 22, 2025 at 5:30 PM
Please! A bit of precision here would do a lot of good.
Sure, using AI instead of machine learning may make the media pay more attention to your study.
But do you really want the people reading the stories to believe that your results came from asking ChatGPT? And yes, they will believe that.
Sure, using AI instead of machine learning may make the media pay more attention to your study.
But do you really want the people reading the stories to believe that your results came from asking ChatGPT? And yes, they will believe that.
Reposted by Bennett
This is a wonderful time to support journalists who do the work, don’t fuck sources, and actually have moral clarity.
i promise i don’t mean to high horse this but if you’re thinking about giving lizza ten bucks there are a lot of good independent journalists whose work you could subscribe to for a month instead
November 22, 2025 at 2:27 PM
This is a wonderful time to support journalists who do the work, don’t fuck sources, and actually have moral clarity.
Reposted by Bennett
2 kinds of news stories about AI:
1) "What happens if <0.1% of people make the tools the rest of us use to think?" No buzz. It's vague & abstract.
2) "AI is alienating a generation of kids from their parents." Picture of Nåndõ, who let an LLM choose her name & shocking hairstyle. Wow! Viral. +
1) "What happens if <0.1% of people make the tools the rest of us use to think?" No buzz. It's vague & abstract.
2) "AI is alienating a generation of kids from their parents." Picture of Nåndõ, who let an LLM choose her name & shocking hairstyle. Wow! Viral. +
November 19, 2025 at 5:37 PM
2 kinds of news stories about AI:
1) "What happens if <0.1% of people make the tools the rest of us use to think?" No buzz. It's vague & abstract.
2) "AI is alienating a generation of kids from their parents." Picture of Nåndõ, who let an LLM choose her name & shocking hairstyle. Wow! Viral. +
1) "What happens if <0.1% of people make the tools the rest of us use to think?" No buzz. It's vague & abstract.
2) "AI is alienating a generation of kids from their parents." Picture of Nåndõ, who let an LLM choose her name & shocking hairstyle. Wow! Viral. +
Reposted by Bennett
ryan lizza is asking you to decide if you’re normal sick or willing to pay for this shit sick
November 22, 2025 at 6:05 AM
ryan lizza is asking you to decide if you’re normal sick or willing to pay for this shit sick
Add Harvard to the list of elite universities whose alumni databases have recently been targeted by social engineering attacks in the last few weeks.
www.insidehighered.com/news/tech-in...
[I didn't even go there!]
www.insidehighered.com/news/tech-in...
[I didn't even go there!]
November 22, 2025 at 5:03 PM
Add Harvard to the list of elite universities whose alumni databases have recently been targeted by social engineering attacks in the last few weeks.
www.insidehighered.com/news/tech-in...
[I didn't even go there!]
www.insidehighered.com/news/tech-in...
[I didn't even go there!]
Reposted by Bennett
until quite recently, I had never thought much about fish, but now they're all I think about
Please read my piece about FISH MINDS! the great fish pain debate, and what it tells us about science and ourselves. gift link in reply!
Please read my piece about FISH MINDS! the great fish pain debate, and what it tells us about science and ourselves. gift link in reply!
November 21, 2025 at 4:15 PM
until quite recently, I had never thought much about fish, but now they're all I think about
Please read my piece about FISH MINDS! the great fish pain debate, and what it tells us about science and ourselves. gift link in reply!
Please read my piece about FISH MINDS! the great fish pain debate, and what it tells us about science and ourselves. gift link in reply!
Reposted by Bennett
The concern, for many experts and former military officers, is that as AI is increasingly integrated into the system—and as tech companies sell the Pentagon on more and more automation—it will end up shaping human decisions, even if it’s not making them.
November 20, 2025 at 6:51 PM
The concern, for many experts and former military officers, is that as AI is increasingly integrated into the system—and as tech companies sell the Pentagon on more and more automation—it will end up shaping human decisions, even if it’s not making them.
only way the US as currently constituted is getting UBI is through a tech monopoly so rich and a class action settlement so big that we're all taken care of
November 19, 2025 at 4:24 AM
only way the US as currently constituted is getting UBI is through a tech monopoly so rich and a class action settlement so big that we're all taken care of
They killed free file for this shit
TurboTax is about to be integrated into ChatGPT, where customers will be guided through tasks tied to their tax filings or financial profile by the AI chatbot.
TurboTax owner Intuit is also paying OpenAI more than $100 million a year to power AI agents.
TurboTax owner Intuit is also paying OpenAI more than $100 million a year to power AI agents.
November 19, 2025 at 3:45 AM
They killed free file for this shit
Reposted by Bennett
i think the synthesis so far of the LA/DC/Chicago experiences is:
1) vulnerable people should hide and wait it out to whatever extent they can
2) other people should help them do that, financially and otherwise
3) other people should also get loud
4) not violent though
1) vulnerable people should hide and wait it out to whatever extent they can
2) other people should help them do that, financially and otherwise
3) other people should also get loud
4) not violent though
Greg Bovino is leading a rebel cavalry terrorizing America—and it's important to recognize that it's in retreat. While the trauma and terror Bovino’s raiders instill is real and damaging, it’s remarkable to note how ineffective the force has turned out to be. www.doomsdayscenario.co/p/trump-bord...
Trump, Border Patrol Retreat in Failure from Chicago
Five important lessons of the first six months of Trump’s immigration raids — and why CBP’s Greg Bovino is the Nathan Bedford Forrest of the Trump era.
www.doomsdayscenario.co
November 17, 2025 at 5:50 PM
i think the synthesis so far of the LA/DC/Chicago experiences is:
1) vulnerable people should hide and wait it out to whatever extent they can
2) other people should help them do that, financially and otherwise
3) other people should also get loud
4) not violent though
1) vulnerable people should hide and wait it out to whatever extent they can
2) other people should help them do that, financially and otherwise
3) other people should also get loud
4) not violent though
Reposted by Bennett
My department is hiring a tenure track assistant professor in in the visual arts, architecture, and/or material culture of the Islamic world. Please circulate!
careers.umass.edu/amherst/en-u...
careers.umass.edu/amherst/en-u...
Details - Assistant Professor - History of Art & Architecture | Human Resources | UMass Amherst
careers.umass.edu
November 19, 2025 at 1:19 AM
My department is hiring a tenure track assistant professor in in the visual arts, architecture, and/or material culture of the Islamic world. Please circulate!
careers.umass.edu/amherst/en-u...
careers.umass.edu/amherst/en-u...
Reposted by Bennett
JOB POSTING!
Andrew W. Mellon Curator of Rare Books and Prints at the @folger.edu
amherst.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/FSL_Em...
Andrew W. Mellon Curator of Rare Books and Prints at the @folger.edu
amherst.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/FSL_Em...
Andrew W. Mellon Curator of Rare Books and Prints
The Folger Shakespeare Library knows that an exceptional staff is the backbone of any great organization. We hire exceptionally qualified individuals who are committed to the mission, vision, and valu...
amherst.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com
November 19, 2025 at 1:34 AM
JOB POSTING!
Andrew W. Mellon Curator of Rare Books and Prints at the @folger.edu
amherst.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/FSL_Em...
Andrew W. Mellon Curator of Rare Books and Prints at the @folger.edu
amherst.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/FSL_Em...
Reposted by Bennett
BREAKING: In AAUP et al v. Trump (wall-to-wall union lawsuit challenging the administration’s unlawful use of TItle VI to reshape the University of California system), the faculty and staff of the UC system WON!!!
We were granted our preliminary injunction! @aaup.org
We were granted our preliminary injunction! @aaup.org
November 14, 2025 at 11:55 PM
BREAKING: In AAUP et al v. Trump (wall-to-wall union lawsuit challenging the administration’s unlawful use of TItle VI to reshape the University of California system), the faculty and staff of the UC system WON!!!
We were granted our preliminary injunction! @aaup.org
We were granted our preliminary injunction! @aaup.org
Reposted by Bennett
Today is the day! Our reply to the two concurrent critiques (from the same set of authors) is now published in the journal Intelligence 🧵 1/
November 12, 2025 at 3:31 PM
Today is the day! Our reply to the two concurrent critiques (from the same set of authors) is now published in the journal Intelligence 🧵 1/
Is Michael Gordin on here? Saw a good talk where he laid out how post-Soviet Russian science was kinda recovering from the chaos of the 1990s and then Putin's "foreign agents" restrictions just completely suffocated it, because science *is* global collaboration
think about that a lot nowadays
think about that a lot nowadays
“The prohibited activities would include joint research, co-authorship on papers, and advising a foreign graduate student or postdoctoral fellow. The language is retroactive, meaning any interactions during the previous 5 years could make a scientist ineligible for future federal funding.”
U.S. Congress considers sweeping ban on Chinese collaborations
Researchers speak out against proposal that would bar funding for U.S. scientists working with Chinese partners or training Chinese students
www.science.org
November 14, 2025 at 5:03 AM
Is Michael Gordin on here? Saw a good talk where he laid out how post-Soviet Russian science was kinda recovering from the chaos of the 1990s and then Putin's "foreign agents" restrictions just completely suffocated it, because science *is* global collaboration
think about that a lot nowadays
think about that a lot nowadays
Reposted by Bennett
Can confirm. I am okay and more motivated than ever to speak up.
Nothing scares this administration more. Their power lies in our silence.
Nothing scares this administration more. Their power lies in our silence.
NIH program officer @jenna-m-norton.bsky.social has been placed on admin leave, sources say.
Norton has been outspoken about the Trump administration's dismantling of science, and she signed the Bethesda Declaration.
Bhattacharya has said that "science is dead without free speech".
Norton has been outspoken about the Trump administration's dismantling of science, and she signed the Bethesda Declaration.
Bhattacharya has said that "science is dead without free speech".
November 14, 2025 at 2:37 AM
Can confirm. I am okay and more motivated than ever to speak up.
Nothing scares this administration more. Their power lies in our silence.
Nothing scares this administration more. Their power lies in our silence.
I appreciate @adamrutherford.bsky.social using Hitler's genetics as a chance to talk about the ironies of history rather than what (little!) we can learn from one man's genome
However, my brain autocompleted the hed to "Junk DNA" which left me… unprepared!
arutherford.substack.com/p/the-irony-...
However, my brain autocompleted the hed to "Junk DNA" which left me… unprepared!
arutherford.substack.com/p/the-irony-...
The Irony of Hitler’s Junk
A slightly different take on the news that Hitler’s DNA reveals some genetic anomalies. The most interesting thing to me is that history has a profound capability for irony.
arutherford.substack.com
November 14, 2025 at 4:29 AM
I appreciate @adamrutherford.bsky.social using Hitler's genetics as a chance to talk about the ironies of history rather than what (little!) we can learn from one man's genome
However, my brain autocompleted the hed to "Junk DNA" which left me… unprepared!
arutherford.substack.com/p/the-irony-...
However, my brain autocompleted the hed to "Junk DNA" which left me… unprepared!
arutherford.substack.com/p/the-irony-...
"Proctorio’s claim that they…thought YouTube was an appropriate place to share 'confidential' information raises serious concerns about their ability to safeguard personal information"
Congrats to @linkletter.org on putting Proctorio's ridiculous lawsuit behind him!
linkletter.org/update-33-th...
Congrats to @linkletter.org on putting Proctorio's ridiculous lawsuit behind him!
linkletter.org/update-33-th...
Update #33: The lawsuit is over! | Stand Against Proctorio's SLAPP!
linkletter.org
November 14, 2025 at 4:15 AM
"Proctorio’s claim that they…thought YouTube was an appropriate place to share 'confidential' information raises serious concerns about their ability to safeguard personal information"
Congrats to @linkletter.org on putting Proctorio's ridiculous lawsuit behind him!
linkletter.org/update-33-th...
Congrats to @linkletter.org on putting Proctorio's ridiculous lawsuit behind him!
linkletter.org/update-33-th...
Reposted by Bennett
Sidenote: Grokipedia includes more than 1,000 citations to conversations between X users and Grok. The seventh citation for the entry on former Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt points to this chat asking Grok to "dig up some dirt" on Verhofstadt
indicator.media/p/grokipedia...
indicator.media/p/grokipedia...
November 13, 2025 at 1:48 PM
Sidenote: Grokipedia includes more than 1,000 citations to conversations between X users and Grok. The seventh citation for the entry on former Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt points to this chat asking Grok to "dig up some dirt" on Verhofstadt
indicator.media/p/grokipedia...
indicator.media/p/grokipedia...