Britt Lundgren
@brittlundgren.bsky.social
Quasar gazer | data miner | science / education policy wonk | Associate Prof. of Physics & Astronomy at a public liberal arts college | Illinoisan
Pinned
My article on the likely influence of the experiments of polymath Thomas Young on the early abstract art of Hilma af Klint is now published & open access at Leonardo / MIT Press 🎉 direct.mit.edu/leon/article...
This is an insane way to respond to being outed for having written a highly inappropriate recommendation letter that also seems to be knowingly putting a student in harm's way.
This is the Yale professor's explanation for why he described the physical attractiveness of a student in an email to Epstein. He explicitly says he regrets nothing about their association.
Again, I'm so happy Yale hired David Brooks to restore trust.
yaledailynews.com/articles/gel...
Again, I'm so happy Yale hired David Brooks to restore trust.
yaledailynews.com/articles/gel...
February 5, 2026 at 7:33 PM
This is an insane way to respond to being outed for having written a highly inappropriate recommendation letter that also seems to be knowingly putting a student in harm's way.
Reposted by Britt Lundgren
Absolutely blistering grilling of Scott Bessent by Rep. Casten on Trump’s massively illegal scheme to steal Venezuela’s oil.
'Do You Recognize That Quote?': Sean Casten Grills Scott Bessent On Previous Comments On Tariffs
YouTube video by Forbes Breaking News
youtu.be
February 5, 2026 at 1:09 AM
Absolutely blistering grilling of Scott Bessent by Rep. Casten on Trump’s massively illegal scheme to steal Venezuela’s oil.
Reposted by Britt Lundgren
BREAKING: The Trump administration repeatedly said the aggressive apartment raid in Chicago last fall was prompted by intel on a gang takeover.
New docs show the real motivation was to get alleged squatters. And the landlord and manager helped them.
www.propublica.org/article/chic...
New docs show the real motivation was to get alleged squatters. And the landlord and manager helped them.
www.propublica.org/article/chic...
The Real Story Behind the Midnight Immigration Raid on a Chicago Apartment Building
The Trump administration has claimed the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua had taken over the building. But new documents make no mention of the gang and reveal federal agents had information about “ille...
www.propublica.org
February 4, 2026 at 3:47 PM
BREAKING: The Trump administration repeatedly said the aggressive apartment raid in Chicago last fall was prompted by intel on a gang takeover.
New docs show the real motivation was to get alleged squatters. And the landlord and manager helped them.
www.propublica.org/article/chic...
New docs show the real motivation was to get alleged squatters. And the landlord and manager helped them.
www.propublica.org/article/chic...
Reposted by Britt Lundgren
Not just venting here, I did speak up, & I was not alone. In fact, the colleagues who were (unconsciously, tbf) shilling for Sam Altman were badly outnumbered. Everyone in the room who had thought even just a little about “AI in education” had reached the same eminently defensible conclusion.
February 4, 2026 at 1:50 PM
Not just venting here, I did speak up, & I was not alone. In fact, the colleagues who were (unconsciously, tbf) shilling for Sam Altman were badly outnumbered. Everyone in the room who had thought even just a little about “AI in education” had reached the same eminently defensible conclusion.
We have been witnessing a smash and grab operation for over a year. It's only reasonable to assume that the people who are knowingly committing high crimes on a daily basis will do terrible things to stay in power and avoid accountability.
This highly influential White House advisor now states openly: use paramilitary forces to intervene directly in our elections.
This is what the conspiracy theories have been for. This moment.
Conservative and Liberal Americans reject fascism. We know it won't help any 'side'. It is time to act.
This is what the conspiracy theories have been for. This moment.
Conservative and Liberal Americans reject fascism. We know it won't help any 'side'. It is time to act.
Steve Bannon,
"We're gonna have ICE surround the polls...We'll never again allow an election to be stolen."
"We're gonna have ICE surround the polls...We'll never again allow an election to be stolen."
February 4, 2026 at 2:14 PM
We have been witnessing a smash and grab operation for over a year. It's only reasonable to assume that the people who are knowingly committing high crimes on a daily basis will do terrible things to stay in power and avoid accountability.
“When baristas get a fair contract, you can reload the app on your phone and then finally, use any gift cards that you might have gotten from the holidays. But trust me, coffee with a union contract tastes so much better, and it is worth the wait.”
Starbucks workers are asking customers to delete the mobile app amid their ongoing strike to push the corporation to reach a first contract with the union and to stop union busting
www.theguardian.com/business/202...
www.theguardian.com/business/202...
Striking Starbucks workers urge customers to delete coffee chain’s app
Unionized baristas continue to fight for a fair contract and ask public for solidarity as strike stretches into third month
www.theguardian.com
February 4, 2026 at 1:58 PM
“When baristas get a fair contract, you can reload the app on your phone and then finally, use any gift cards that you might have gotten from the holidays. But trust me, coffee with a union contract tastes so much better, and it is worth the wait.”
Reposted by Britt Lundgren
Billionaires are feeling a bit impoverished so we'll repeal child labor laws and move the Social Security age to 100
Dr Oz: "If we could get the average American to start working a year earlier, right out of high school, or a year later -- not retire -- or work better during their lifetime because they're healthy, it would generate about $3 trillion to the US economy. That would more than remove the debt."
February 3, 2026 at 12:40 PM
Billionaires are feeling a bit impoverished so we'll repeal child labor laws and move the Social Security age to 100
Reposted by Britt Lundgren
This is a great ‘experiment of opportunity’ to get a closer look at what happens when satellites reenter the atmosphere. Lots of unknowns!
Fun fact: we recently moved two satellites to meet a plane. Why? For valuable scientific data on atmospheric reentries.
Find out more about the why & how 👉 www.esa.int/Space_Safety...
Find out more about the why & how 👉 www.esa.int/Space_Safety...
Moving satellites to meet a plane for rare reentry data
When satellites eventually fall back down to Earth, they mostly burn up because of the friction caused by the atmosphere. Scientific data about this atmospheric reentry process is urgently needed to d...
www.esa.int
February 3, 2026 at 12:40 PM
This is a great ‘experiment of opportunity’ to get a closer look at what happens when satellites reenter the atmosphere. Lots of unknowns!
The NOAA NWS Space Weather Prediction Center social media videos by Shawn Dahl are great (and surprisingly calming), in case you need something to watch in between new episodes of The Pitt.
February 3, 2026 at 5:28 AM
The NOAA NWS Space Weather Prediction Center social media videos by Shawn Dahl are great (and surprisingly calming), in case you need something to watch in between new episodes of The Pitt.
Reposted by Britt Lundgren
January 31, 2026 at 8:13 PM
Reposted by Britt Lundgren
Science is hard, even when you love it. And as much as I love it, it also takes a lot. We make sacrifices. Family. Physical and mental health. Financial security. Most of my colleagues went into STEM as an act of love. Love for people, for places, for the cosmos, for a planet we all share.
February 2, 2026 at 10:57 PM
Science is hard, even when you love it. And as much as I love it, it also takes a lot. We make sacrifices. Family. Physical and mental health. Financial security. Most of my colleagues went into STEM as an act of love. Love for people, for places, for the cosmos, for a planet we all share.
Reposted by Britt Lundgren
This is a district “that President Donald Trump carried by more than 17 percentage points in 2024.”
www.texastribune.org/2026/01/30/t...
www.texastribune.org/2026/01/30/t...
👀👀👀
February 1, 2026 at 4:00 AM
This is a district “that President Donald Trump carried by more than 17 percentage points in 2024.”
www.texastribune.org/2026/01/30/t...
www.texastribune.org/2026/01/30/t...
Reposted by Britt Lundgren
Looking at the list of 19 new CBS News commentators, the median number of times they appear in the searchable Epstein database is 2 and the mean is 100
January 31, 2026 at 4:46 PM
Looking at the list of 19 new CBS News commentators, the median number of times they appear in the searchable Epstein database is 2 and the mean is 100
Looks like I'll finally get to take my snowshoes out this weekend. ❄️😀 Current line for the birdfeeder:
January 31, 2026 at 5:57 PM
Looks like I'll finally get to take my snowshoes out this weekend. ❄️😀 Current line for the birdfeeder:
Reposted by Britt Lundgren
Injecting my personal thoughts: there are going to be people who think they are learning, who equate completing the work with learning. These are the people who will be harmed. It’s never the people who are passionate about learning. They after going to find a way to learn no matter what.
January 31, 2026 at 4:31 AM
Injecting my personal thoughts: there are going to be people who think they are learning, who equate completing the work with learning. These are the people who will be harmed. It’s never the people who are passionate about learning. They after going to find a way to learn no matter what.
Reposted by Britt Lundgren
“We found that using AI assistance led to a statistically significant decrease in mastery.”
Props to Anthropic for studying the effects of their creation and reporting results that are not probably what they wished for
www.anthropic.com/research/AI-...
Props to Anthropic for studying the effects of their creation and reporting results that are not probably what they wished for
www.anthropic.com/research/AI-...
How AI assistance impacts the formation of coding skills
Anthropic is an AI safety and research company that's working to build reliable, interpretable, and steerable AI systems.
www.anthropic.com
January 31, 2026 at 3:50 AM
“We found that using AI assistance led to a statistically significant decrease in mastery.”
Props to Anthropic for studying the effects of their creation and reporting results that are not probably what they wished for
www.anthropic.com/research/AI-...
Props to Anthropic for studying the effects of their creation and reporting results that are not probably what they wished for
www.anthropic.com/research/AI-...
Reposted by Britt Lundgren
A Minnesota woman observing ICE agents in her car was cornered on one-way streets. An agent approached, called her by name—citing facial recognition. Days later, her Global Entry and TSA privileges were revoked, with no explanation.
How ICE Already Knows Who Minneapolis Protesters Are
www.nytimes.com
January 30, 2026 at 11:55 AM
A Minnesota woman observing ICE agents in her car was cornered on one-way streets. An agent approached, called her by name—citing facial recognition. Days later, her Global Entry and TSA privileges were revoked, with no explanation.
Every time elite folks talk about things being the fault of elites:
January 29, 2026 at 11:38 PM
Every time elite folks talk about things being the fault of elites:
The federal Astronomy and Astrophysics Advisory Committee is meeting today and tomorrow. Click below for the agenda and/or to join by Zoom 🔭🧪🛰️ www.nsf.gov/events/astro...
Astronomy and Astrophysics Advisory Committee meeting (January 2026)
www.nsf.gov
January 29, 2026 at 2:34 PM
The federal Astronomy and Astrophysics Advisory Committee is meeting today and tomorrow. Click below for the agenda and/or to join by Zoom 🔭🧪🛰️ www.nsf.gov/events/astro...
Good news is pretty hard to come by these days.. but it looks like this year's flu has made its exit from Asheville.
January 29, 2026 at 2:12 PM
Good news is pretty hard to come by these days.. but it looks like this year's flu has made its exit from Asheville.
This is an outrageous waste of taxpayer dollars -- doing nothing but endangering the people who paid for it. If you agree, please call your senators this morning (5calls.org) and demand they refuse any additional funding for DHS. www.nytimes.com/video/us/100...
Video: How Battlefield Tech Was Used in Minneapolis
Our reporter Thomas Gibbons-Neff, who deployed twice to Afghanistan as a Marine and later was our Kabul bureau chief, looks at the battlefield technology used for an immigration arrest at a home in Mi...
www.nytimes.com
January 29, 2026 at 1:11 PM
This is an outrageous waste of taxpayer dollars -- doing nothing but endangering the people who paid for it. If you agree, please call your senators this morning (5calls.org) and demand they refuse any additional funding for DHS. www.nytimes.com/video/us/100...
I'm going to have to start believing in hell again.
The scramble for Africa redux/continued.
The U.S. is using PEPFAR funding and other health aid as leverage extract control of the mining sector in Zambia.
www.lusakatimes.com/2026/01/25/z...
The U.S. is using PEPFAR funding and other health aid as leverage extract control of the mining sector in Zambia.
www.lusakatimes.com/2026/01/25/z...
January 29, 2026 at 1:47 AM
I'm going to have to start believing in hell again.
Reposted by Britt Lundgren
I've updated my megaconstellations list www.planet4589.org/space/con/co... with details of the planned Blue Origin Terawave system and the enormous CTC1 and CTC2 constellations China just filed with the ITU, for a total of almost 750,000 proposed satellites in the years to come.
Jonathan's Space Report | Space Statistics
Jonathan McDowell's new homepage
www.planet4589.org
January 26, 2026 at 2:25 AM
I've updated my megaconstellations list www.planet4589.org/space/con/co... with details of the planned Blue Origin Terawave system and the enormous CTC1 and CTC2 constellations China just filed with the ITU, for a total of almost 750,000 proposed satellites in the years to come.
Reposted by Britt Lundgren
The Senate may choose to vote together on the DHS and LHHS bills. Thus, a filibuster on DHS may mean no funding for NIH. What my colleagues are saying:
“Shut it down, public health will understand. I’ll work without pay again.”
- anonymous NIHer
“Shut it down, public health will understand. I’ll work without pay again.”
- anonymous NIHer
January 25, 2026 at 5:19 AM
The Senate may choose to vote together on the DHS and LHHS bills. Thus, a filibuster on DHS may mean no funding for NIH. What my colleagues are saying:
“Shut it down, public health will understand. I’ll work without pay again.”
- anonymous NIHer
“Shut it down, public health will understand. I’ll work without pay again.”
- anonymous NIHer
DT can't understand why MN, a predominantly white state, heavy with the blonde folks he says he loves, doesn't back his racist agenda. But Swedish-Americans' cultural identity is rooted in relatively recent chain immigration; our grands & great-grands came here poor. www.mnhs.org/mnopedia/sea...
Swedish Immigration to Minnesota | MNopedia
Over a quarter of a million Swedes came to Minnesota between 1850 and 1930, drawn primarily by economic opportunities not available to them at home. Once Swedish immigrant settlements were established...
www.mnhs.org
January 26, 2026 at 3:54 PM
DT can't understand why MN, a predominantly white state, heavy with the blonde folks he says he loves, doesn't back his racist agenda. But Swedish-Americans' cultural identity is rooted in relatively recent chain immigration; our grands & great-grands came here poor. www.mnhs.org/mnopedia/sea...