Chris Chapman
@cchapman.bsky.social
UX researcher, psychologist. Author "Quantitative User Experience Research" (w/Rodden), "R | Python for Marketing Research and Analytics" (w/Feit & Schwarz). Previously 24 yrs @ Google, Amazon, Microsoft. Personal account.
Blog at https://quantuxblog.com
Blog at https://quantuxblog.com
Reposted by Chris Chapman
Large scale conversion of warehouses into camps to concentrate migrants is taking place:
ICE Begins Buying ‘Mega’ Warehouse Detention Centers Across US
Plans for such centers and jails in nearly two dozen communities have sparked protests over suitability, proximity to homes and schools.
www.bloomberg.com
January 30, 2026 at 3:30 PM
Large scale conversion of warehouses into camps to concentrate migrants is taking place:
Astonishing
"using AI assistance led to a .. significant decrease in mastery. On a quiz [of] concepts used just a few minutes before, participants in the AI group scored 17% lower than those who coded by hand .. AI sped up the task slightly, but this didn’t reach .. statistical significance."
"using AI assistance led to a .. significant decrease in mastery. On a quiz [of] concepts used just a few minutes before, participants in the AI group scored 17% lower than those who coded by hand .. AI sped up the task slightly, but this didn’t reach .. statistical significance."
The latest from Anthropic: using Anthropic's products makes you worse at your job
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 30, 2026 at 11:42 PM
Astonishing
"using AI assistance led to a .. significant decrease in mastery. On a quiz [of] concepts used just a few minutes before, participants in the AI group scored 17% lower than those who coded by hand .. AI sped up the task slightly, but this didn’t reach .. statistical significance."
"using AI assistance led to a .. significant decrease in mastery. On a quiz [of] concepts used just a few minutes before, participants in the AI group scored 17% lower than those who coded by hand .. AI sped up the task slightly, but this didn’t reach .. statistical significance."
Reposted by Chris Chapman
X is hiring a creative writing specialist at $40 an hour to make Grok better at writing and a true LOL at the qualifications
January 30, 2026 at 8:14 PM
X is hiring a creative writing specialist at $40 an hour to make Grok better at writing and a true LOL at the qualifications
Reposted by Chris Chapman
What's morale like at CBP & ICE right now? New survey data are damning.
*21% of CBP respondents (9% of ICE respondents) believe their agencies' political leaders maintain high standards of integrity.
*Only 23% at CBP (18% at ICE) feel confident they could report illegal acts without retribution
*21% of CBP respondents (9% of ICE respondents) believe their agencies' political leaders maintain high standards of integrity.
*Only 23% at CBP (18% at ICE) feel confident they could report illegal acts without retribution
January 29, 2026 at 10:10 PM
What's morale like at CBP & ICE right now? New survey data are damning.
*21% of CBP respondents (9% of ICE respondents) believe their agencies' political leaders maintain high standards of integrity.
*Only 23% at CBP (18% at ICE) feel confident they could report illegal acts without retribution
*21% of CBP respondents (9% of ICE respondents) believe their agencies' political leaders maintain high standards of integrity.
*Only 23% at CBP (18% at ICE) feel confident they could report illegal acts without retribution
Reposted by Chris Chapman
Yes…of course I run for ten kilometers a day after making word count…certainly all writers do that… *tugs collar*
Not pictured: Haruki Murakami’s wife, or indeed whoever is cooking, cleaning, paying bills, running errands, doing the laundry, answering emails, etc
like yea his routine is goals, but let’s not lie to ourselves about all the invisible work others are doing to enable him to have that routine
like yea his routine is goals, but let’s not lie to ourselves about all the invisible work others are doing to enable him to have that routine
January 29, 2026 at 7:52 PM
Yes…of course I run for ten kilometers a day after making word count…certainly all writers do that… *tugs collar*
Reposted by Chris Chapman
Here's another deep field image from JWST.
There's something pretty amazing hidden within it, which I'll talk about next.
But open up this image and lose yourself in this almost impossibly vast view of our Universe.
The six-pointed features are stars in the Milky Way. Everything else is a galaxy.
There's something pretty amazing hidden within it, which I'll talk about next.
But open up this image and lose yourself in this almost impossibly vast view of our Universe.
The six-pointed features are stars in the Milky Way. Everything else is a galaxy.
January 28, 2026 at 7:53 PM
Here's another deep field image from JWST.
There's something pretty amazing hidden within it, which I'll talk about next.
But open up this image and lose yourself in this almost impossibly vast view of our Universe.
The six-pointed features are stars in the Milky Way. Everything else is a galaxy.
There's something pretty amazing hidden within it, which I'll talk about next.
But open up this image and lose yourself in this almost impossibly vast view of our Universe.
The six-pointed features are stars in the Milky Way. Everything else is a galaxy.
Reposted by Chris Chapman
Jailbreak: the blessed Ranieri frees the poor from a formidable Florentine prison. Painted in 1440 by Sassetta of Siena. It's his day today.
January 29, 2026 at 10:43 PM
Jailbreak: the blessed Ranieri frees the poor from a formidable Florentine prison. Painted in 1440 by Sassetta of Siena. It's his day today.
Reposted by Chris Chapman
If you’re giving money to a white supremacist who put thousands of my colleagues out of work, decimated American science, and killed millions of people just so you can use a water-guzzling, misinformation-hawking racist chatbot the least I can do is make you embarrassed to admit it out loud.
January 29, 2026 at 11:46 PM
If you’re giving money to a white supremacist who put thousands of my colleagues out of work, decimated American science, and killed millions of people just so you can use a water-guzzling, misinformation-hawking racist chatbot the least I can do is make you embarrassed to admit it out loud.
Reposted by Chris Chapman
🚨 I've obtained a list of secret watchlists the Department of Homeland Security uses to keep tabs on American citizens
www.kenklippenstein.com/p/ices-secre...
www.kenklippenstein.com/p/ices-secre...
Exclusive: ICE's Secret Watchlists of Americans
Sparta, Reaper and Grapevine track protesters, their friends (+ others)
www.kenklippenstein.com
January 28, 2026 at 9:07 PM
🚨 I've obtained a list of secret watchlists the Department of Homeland Security uses to keep tabs on American citizens
www.kenklippenstein.com/p/ices-secre...
www.kenklippenstein.com/p/ices-secre...
Reposted by Chris Chapman
Save the date: details to follow as our No Kings Seattle Coalition gets planning! See you on March 28th for the next No Kings protest! #seattle #nokings #nokingsseattle
January 28, 2026 at 11:37 PM
Save the date: details to follow as our No Kings Seattle Coalition gets planning! See you on March 28th for the next No Kings protest! #seattle #nokings #nokingsseattle
Reposted by Chris Chapman
They were both anthropomorphising, talking about whether AI is good or evil... It's computer code and nothing more. What's problematic is people believing it's capable of anything other than next word prediction
January 28, 2026 at 11:35 PM
Reposted by Chris Chapman
Since we published this, Pam Bondi's X account has started posting mugshots of Minnesotans arrested for impeding ICE/CBP. Sharing a defendant's photo publicly in this way is forbidden under DOJ rules
ICE and CBP are at the head of Trump's campaign to terrorize Minnesotans. But the Justice Department is not far behind.
ICE’s No. 1 Ally
The Department of Justice has rushed to shield federal agents from accountability and launched needless criminal investigations into Minnesota officials and residents.
www.theatlantic.com
January 28, 2026 at 8:23 PM
Since we published this, Pam Bondi's X account has started posting mugshots of Minnesotans arrested for impeding ICE/CBP. Sharing a defendant's photo publicly in this way is forbidden under DOJ rules
January 28, 2026 at 3:37 PM
Reposted by Chris Chapman
I've seen five or six similar posts today regarding emails purporting to be from authors, agents, and publishers, along with the four I've received from nonexistent book clubs and the one from the Editorial Director of Penguin.
If you get any unsolicited book-related messaging, assume it's a scam.
If you get any unsolicited book-related messaging, assume it's a scam.
EXTREMELY IMPORTANT:
If you receive a marketing pitch from "Smart Bitches Strategic Partnerships," IT IS NOT US.
Big thanks to the Cold War historian who forwarded me the scam email he received.
AGAIN: NOT US.
If you receive a marketing pitch from "Smart Bitches Strategic Partnerships," IT IS NOT US.
Big thanks to the Cold War historian who forwarded me the scam email he received.
AGAIN: NOT US.
January 28, 2026 at 3:19 PM
I've seen five or six similar posts today regarding emails purporting to be from authors, agents, and publishers, along with the four I've received from nonexistent book clubs and the one from the Editorial Director of Penguin.
If you get any unsolicited book-related messaging, assume it's a scam.
If you get any unsolicited book-related messaging, assume it's a scam.
Reposted by Chris Chapman
"LLMs [only] do a great job at interpreting plots that _don't_ contradict their expectations—it's sort of antithetical to the spirit of science." - @mike-thomas.bsky.social. Thanks for the coverage, yall!
More on @sara-altman.bsky.social and I's bluffbench eval: posit.co/blog/llm-plo...
More on @sara-altman.bsky.social and I's bluffbench eval: posit.co/blog/llm-plo...
January 28, 2026 at 3:06 PM
"LLMs [only] do a great job at interpreting plots that _don't_ contradict their expectations—it's sort of antithetical to the spirit of science." - @mike-thomas.bsky.social. Thanks for the coverage, yall!
More on @sara-altman.bsky.social and I's bluffbench eval: posit.co/blog/llm-plo...
More on @sara-altman.bsky.social and I's bluffbench eval: posit.co/blog/llm-plo...
Reposted by Chris Chapman
Incredible self own for the US. The damage being done to the US scientific enterprise is generational. We will look back on this as a tipping point where the US chose all on its own to stop leading the world in science.
www.science.org/content/arti...
www.science.org/content/arti...
U.S. government has lost more than 10,000 STEM Ph.D.s since Trump took office
A Science analysis reveals how many were fired, retired, or quit across 14 agencies
www.science.org
January 28, 2026 at 11:46 AM
Incredible self own for the US. The damage being done to the US scientific enterprise is generational. We will look back on this as a tipping point where the US chose all on its own to stop leading the world in science.
www.science.org/content/arti...
www.science.org/content/arti...
Reposted by Chris Chapman
Problem: You are not a very good writer.
Solution: Your narrator is not a very good writer.
Solution: Your narrator is not a very good writer.
Twenty Solutions to Common Story Problems
1. Problem: The story you are writing has plot holes. Solution: Unreliable narrator. - - -2. Problem: The story you are writing has severe, glaring...
buff.ly
January 28, 2026 at 1:30 PM
Problem: You are not a very good writer.
Solution: Your narrator is not a very good writer.
Solution: Your narrator is not a very good writer.
Reposted by Chris Chapman
Holy moly this chart: Cumulative US measles cases
January 28, 2026 at 12:54 PM
Holy moly this chart: Cumulative US measles cases
Reposted by Chris Chapman
While creating and submitting AI slop papers has been possible before, Prism makes it quite a bit easier. And I fear that it pushes even well-meaning researchers in a dangerous direction.
January 27, 2026 at 11:10 PM
While creating and submitting AI slop papers has been possible before, Prism makes it quite a bit easier. And I fear that it pushes even well-meaning researchers in a dangerous direction.
Such a shift in broad opinion is almost unheard of (as Morris discusses)
"there has been a net 50-point move to the left on abolishing ICE since the fall of 2024. A position that was electoral suicide for Democrats in 2024 is now a toss-up — or better. Marginal voters might even be in favor of it!"
"there has been a net 50-point move to the left on abolishing ICE since the fall of 2024. A position that was electoral suicide for Democrats in 2024 is now a toss-up — or better. Marginal voters might even be in favor of it!"
Tough couple of months for the people trying to optimize Democratic strategy to win the last election instead of the next one
www.gelliottmorris.com/p/trumps-imm...
www.gelliottmorris.com/p/trumps-imm...
The ICE shootings are a tipping point
Donald Trump's approval on immigration has collapsed 17 points since taking office, and support for abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement has swung 50 points since Sept. 2024.
www.gelliottmorris.com
January 27, 2026 at 11:13 PM
Such a shift in broad opinion is almost unheard of (as Morris discusses)
"there has been a net 50-point move to the left on abolishing ICE since the fall of 2024. A position that was electoral suicide for Democrats in 2024 is now a toss-up — or better. Marginal voters might even be in favor of it!"
"there has been a net 50-point move to the left on abolishing ICE since the fall of 2024. A position that was electoral suicide for Democrats in 2024 is now a toss-up — or better. Marginal voters might even be in favor of it!"
Reposted by Chris Chapman
Reposted by Chris Chapman
Turns out Just Walk Out was not only fauxtomation but also not a compelling business model.
Amazon's latest pivot: Bye-bye, automated grocery stores
Amazon is closing its Fresh grocery stores and Go convenience stores, the company said Tuesday. It will convert some stores to Whole Foods locations.
www.businessinsider.com
January 27, 2026 at 4:43 PM
Turns out Just Walk Out was not only fauxtomation but also not a compelling business model.
Reposted by Chris Chapman
One thing I found deeply moving about resistance in the Twin Cities was the universalism of loving your neighbor, the philosophy driving the opposition to the ICE/BP invasion. I couldn't help but notice the contrast with the blood and soil-ism of Miller and Vance. www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...
January 27, 2026 at 2:38 PM
One thing I found deeply moving about resistance in the Twin Cities was the universalism of loving your neighbor, the philosophy driving the opposition to the ICE/BP invasion. I couldn't help but notice the contrast with the blood and soil-ism of Miller and Vance. www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...
Reposted by Chris Chapman
Reposted by Chris Chapman
Verasight’s/@gelliottmorris.com latest synthetic data report found that LLMs fail at multi answer questions. Across 77 multi-response options:
-35% selected by >5% of humans but <1% of LLMs
-31% of valid options were never selected by LLMs
https://www.verasight.io/reports/synthetic-omnibus-survey
-35% selected by >5% of humans but <1% of LLMs
-31% of valid options were never selected by LLMs
https://www.verasight.io/reports/synthetic-omnibus-survey
January 27, 2026 at 3:21 PM
Verasight’s/@gelliottmorris.com latest synthetic data report found that LLMs fail at multi answer questions. Across 77 multi-response options:
-35% selected by >5% of humans but <1% of LLMs
-31% of valid options were never selected by LLMs
https://www.verasight.io/reports/synthetic-omnibus-survey
-35% selected by >5% of humans but <1% of LLMs
-31% of valid options were never selected by LLMs
https://www.verasight.io/reports/synthetic-omnibus-survey