Daphna
@dapati.bsky.social
I like serial commas, fireflies, bold patterns, cities, advice columns, long walks, museums, menus, learning about a lot of things and teaching about some. Always thinking about my next meal. She/her.
Reposted by Daphna
Here at the University of South Carolina, we've had no in-state tuition increases for the past seven years. Factoring in inflation, it now costs 25% less to attend USC than it did before that. The school is flourishing as a result, with enrollment at over 40,000 students for the first time ever.
It's no secret that going to college can be very expensive, with tuition costs rising faster than financial aid. But what's causing that price tag to rise so quickly?
College 'sticker prices' have risen dramatically. Here's why
It's no secret that going to college can be very expensive, with tuition costs rising faster than financial aid. But what's causing that price tag to rise so quickly?
n.pr
November 30, 2025 at 1:03 PM
Here at the University of South Carolina, we've had no in-state tuition increases for the past seven years. Factoring in inflation, it now costs 25% less to attend USC than it did before that. The school is flourishing as a result, with enrollment at over 40,000 students for the first time ever.
Reposted by Daphna
As someone who works on the interaction layer of software: it's this.
Stupid trends in hardware self correct after a generation or two, but *software* ratchets in the direction of unusable because designers are occupied with interaction patterns and not whether the fucking thing works properly.
Stupid trends in hardware self correct after a generation or two, but *software* ratchets in the direction of unusable because designers are occupied with interaction patterns and not whether the fucking thing works properly.
i think it's useful to look at areas where the *tech* has gotten much better while tech *interactions* have gotten way worse. streaming has gotten worse, google search has gotten worse, digital cameras are leaps better. apple's silicone is so good it's threatening their user upgrade cycle
it’s so weird to look around and realize like, tech and media are materially worse than a decade ago
November 30, 2025 at 1:38 PM
As someone who works on the interaction layer of software: it's this.
Stupid trends in hardware self correct after a generation or two, but *software* ratchets in the direction of unusable because designers are occupied with interaction patterns and not whether the fucking thing works properly.
Stupid trends in hardware self correct after a generation or two, but *software* ratchets in the direction of unusable because designers are occupied with interaction patterns and not whether the fucking thing works properly.
Reposted by Daphna
One of the few salutary things about the current moment (I’m thinking of maybe the last 20 months) is the exposure of campus governance structures. Many of us know a lot more about how our institutions work—power and influence, as well as actual rules—than might have been the case prior.
Use that.
Use that.
Do not blame institutions, which are many things to many people.
Do not blame the people who work there, who have little real say and are universally staunchly opposed. (Very often students too.)
Instead:
Blame leadership.
Blame alumni with fingers on scales.
Blame the media for normalizing.
Do not blame the people who work there, who have little real say and are universally staunchly opposed. (Very often students too.)
Instead:
Blame leadership.
Blame alumni with fingers on scales.
Blame the media for normalizing.
November 29, 2025 at 5:58 PM
One of the few salutary things about the current moment (I’m thinking of maybe the last 20 months) is the exposure of campus governance structures. Many of us know a lot more about how our institutions work—power and influence, as well as actual rules—than might have been the case prior.
Use that.
Use that.
Reposted by Daphna
As violent as American drivers already were, we are simply not prepared for the raw carnage of aging suburban boomers behind the wheels of instant-torque, 0-60 in 2.5 seconds EVs.
They're going to slaughter tens of thousands of people and we're doing nothing to prevent it.
They're going to slaughter tens of thousands of people and we're doing nothing to prevent it.
It looks to me like this 90-year old driver drove 177 feet down University Ave in Los Gatos in one second, which comes out to about 120 miles per hour
November 29, 2025 at 5:10 AM
As violent as American drivers already were, we are simply not prepared for the raw carnage of aging suburban boomers behind the wheels of instant-torque, 0-60 in 2.5 seconds EVs.
They're going to slaughter tens of thousands of people and we're doing nothing to prevent it.
They're going to slaughter tens of thousands of people and we're doing nothing to prevent it.
Reposted by Daphna
Here’s the thing about settling to keep the government grant $ flowing: this administration is actively trying to destroy state capacity to fund research at anything close to its current scale. If they’re successful, the entire model of the research university is dead.
Who is supporting these settlements? It’s generally not faculty or even long-time university administrators, it’s university boards and interim administrators who they’ve installed after admins with more of a fighting instinct have been forced out. There’s a playbook here.
@mbkplus.bsky.social and I will have more thoughts on the podcast, but it's no coincidence that the two most draconian settlements were signed by *interim* university presidents.
November 29, 2025 at 2:13 PM
Here’s the thing about settling to keep the government grant $ flowing: this administration is actively trying to destroy state capacity to fund research at anything close to its current scale. If they’re successful, the entire model of the research university is dead.
Reposted by Daphna
tie to construction funding, sure. tie it to mortgage financing? NOW WE'RE COOKING
elaborating on "construction funds tied to abolishing zoning"
the 21 year old drinking age is a patchwork of state laws created by tying federal highway funds to a mandate
we do this, but for "municipalities get $x in construction subsidies only if they have no more than x% single family zoning"
the 21 year old drinking age is a patchwork of state laws created by tying federal highway funds to a mandate
we do this, but for "municipalities get $x in construction subsidies only if they have no more than x% single family zoning"
3) immigration reform (implement a system that works the way people thought it worked, with strong statutory protections and dissolving DHS/ICE)
4) national LGBT rights law guaranteeing a right to gender transition + abolishing legal gender categories
5) construction funds tied to abolishing zoning
4) national LGBT rights law guaranteeing a right to gender transition + abolishing legal gender categories
5) construction funds tied to abolishing zoning
November 28, 2025 at 5:30 PM
tie to construction funding, sure. tie it to mortgage financing? NOW WE'RE COOKING
Reposted by Daphna
Yo DC peoples:
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Did you love the City Paper?
Did you subscribe to DCist?
Wanna get more of that in your life?
Subscribe to @51st.news!
5 stars. Do recommend.
Link: 51st.news/membership/?...
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November 25, 2025 at 9:46 PM
Yo DC peoples:
Did you love the City Paper?
Did you subscribe to DCist?
Wanna get more of that in your life?
Subscribe to @51st.news!
5 stars. Do recommend.
Link: 51st.news/membership/?...
Did you love the City Paper?
Did you subscribe to DCist?
Wanna get more of that in your life?
Subscribe to @51st.news!
5 stars. Do recommend.
Link: 51st.news/membership/?...
Reposted by Daphna
i think we have to get off the defensive on immigration
it's not just necessary, it's good! - & the easier it is, the greater its benefits
it's not just necessary, it's good! - & the easier it is, the greater its benefits
November 28, 2025 at 1:23 PM
i think we have to get off the defensive on immigration
it's not just necessary, it's good! - & the easier it is, the greater its benefits
it's not just necessary, it's good! - & the easier it is, the greater its benefits
Reposted by Daphna
I think in part the higher education funding crisis and the LLM-teaching crisis actually strike at the same problem, which is that education doesn't work without a broad, society-wide sense that the *actual content* of education - not the credential - is valuable.
May 14, 2025 at 1:29 PM
I think in part the higher education funding crisis and the LLM-teaching crisis actually strike at the same problem, which is that education doesn't work without a broad, society-wide sense that the *actual content* of education - not the credential - is valuable.
Reposted by Daphna
Through December 31, we’re participating in a program called NewsMatch, which doubles donations to small nonprofit newsrooms like ours. Subscriptions and one-time gifts are all eligible to be doubled! Support today:
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November 18, 2025 at 10:15 PM
Through December 31, we’re participating in a program called NewsMatch, which doubles donations to small nonprofit newsrooms like ours. Subscriptions and one-time gifts are all eligible to be doubled! Support today:
Reposted by Daphna
No bailouts. The US should extort these companies when the crash happens so they get minimal compensation in return for nationalizing the entire panopticon industry and then destroying it once harvested for socially useful parts. It won’t happen but it should
November 25, 2025 at 4:22 PM
No bailouts. The US should extort these companies when the crash happens so they get minimal compensation in return for nationalizing the entire panopticon industry and then destroying it once harvested for socially useful parts. It won’t happen but it should
Reposted by Daphna
Me, an atheist: Your holiness I stand ready to join the crusade against the demonic computers
Pope Leo XIV told students not to use artificial intelligence for homework, saying that AI ‘won’t stand in authentic wonder before the beauty of God’s creation.’
Even God Is Worried About ChatGPT
Pope Leo XIV told students not to use artificial intelligence for homework, saying that AI ‘won’t stand in authentic wonder before the beauty of God’s creation.’
www.vulture.com
November 26, 2025 at 5:07 PM
Me, an atheist: Your holiness I stand ready to join the crusade against the demonic computers
Reposted by Daphna
A great annual moment in Midtown Manhattan is seeing all of the band members, cheerleaders, drum majors & flag teams walking around in their school swag in the days before the big Thanksgiving parade.
November 26, 2025 at 4:42 PM
A great annual moment in Midtown Manhattan is seeing all of the band members, cheerleaders, drum majors & flag teams walking around in their school swag in the days before the big Thanksgiving parade.
Reposted by Daphna
I'm ICE, boys. I love crashing cars, getting divorced, crashing cars, bargain bin jeans, texting while driving, crashing cars, OLD GLORY, and let's not forget my one true passion in life—crashing cars
ICE agents involved in another vehicle collision, this time in Mesa azmirror.com/briefs/ice-a...
ICE agents involved in another vehicle collision, this time in Mesa | Arizona Mirror
Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents collided with a car driven by a person they were attempting to apprehend in a Mesa neighborhood.
azmirror.com
November 26, 2025 at 4:06 PM
I'm ICE, boys. I love crashing cars, getting divorced, crashing cars, bargain bin jeans, texting while driving, crashing cars, OLD GLORY, and let's not forget my one true passion in life—crashing cars
Reposted by Daphna
Inbox: The independent union at Blue Bottle Coffee, @bbiunion.bsky.social, is on strike. “As of today, we have gone out on the picket line to combat Blue Bottle's bad faith bargaining and ensure fair wages and protections for baristas.”
November 26, 2025 at 1:15 PM
Inbox: The independent union at Blue Bottle Coffee, @bbiunion.bsky.social, is on strike. “As of today, we have gone out on the picket line to combat Blue Bottle's bad faith bargaining and ensure fair wages and protections for baristas.”
Reposted by Daphna
We found that if every car had these driver assist features, the U.S. could prevent 1.6 million total car crashes (including about 7,200 fatal crashes), and save more than $260 billion annually in costs to society www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
November 26, 2025 at 1:14 PM
We found that if every car had these driver assist features, the U.S. could prevent 1.6 million total car crashes (including about 7,200 fatal crashes), and save more than $260 billion annually in costs to society www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Reposted by Daphna
I once asked a bookseller at a large indie store how many people would have to buy a book for it to get the attention of the store buyer and cause an additional order and they said: Three.
I see some book piracy discourse, and, to make a positive argument in favor of buying books, your marginal ability to influence what books get published and support the careers of writers you like is massive compared to most other forms of media.
November 25, 2025 at 11:07 PM
I once asked a bookseller at a large indie store how many people would have to buy a book for it to get the attention of the store buyer and cause an additional order and they said: Three.
Reposted by Daphna
One of my favorite things is getting to tell friends who are new to NYC that the subway "stand clear of the closing doors please" voice is a trans woman named Bernie Wagenblast and she's amazing.
November 24, 2025 at 6:19 PM
One of my favorite things is getting to tell friends who are new to NYC that the subway "stand clear of the closing doors please" voice is a trans woman named Bernie Wagenblast and she's amazing.
Reposted by Daphna
There is NO FUCKING EXCUSE for this to be happening.
I had a baby die in my arms of pertussis some fifty years ago. It was a HORRIBLE death. But my fellow nurses said to me, "It's almost stamped out now, they're all getting the shots, we won't be seeing this again."
HOW THE FUCK ARE WE HERE. 😡
I had a baby die in my arms of pertussis some fifty years ago. It was a HORRIBLE death. But my fellow nurses said to me, "It's almost stamped out now, they're all getting the shots, we won't be seeing this again."
HOW THE FUCK ARE WE HERE. 😡
A third infant has died in Kentucky, KYDPH adds:
“These are Kentucky’s first pertussis deaths since 2018. None of the infants nor their mothers received the recommended pertussis vaccinations during pregnancy or early infancy.”
s3.amazonaws.com/nursing-netw...
“These are Kentucky’s first pertussis deaths since 2018. None of the infants nor their mothers received the recommended pertussis vaccinations during pregnancy or early infancy.”
s3.amazonaws.com/nursing-netw...
November 25, 2025 at 10:01 PM
There is NO FUCKING EXCUSE for this to be happening.
I had a baby die in my arms of pertussis some fifty years ago. It was a HORRIBLE death. But my fellow nurses said to me, "It's almost stamped out now, they're all getting the shots, we won't be seeing this again."
HOW THE FUCK ARE WE HERE. 😡
I had a baby die in my arms of pertussis some fifty years ago. It was a HORRIBLE death. But my fellow nurses said to me, "It's almost stamped out now, they're all getting the shots, we won't be seeing this again."
HOW THE FUCK ARE WE HERE. 😡
Reposted by Daphna
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November 25, 2025 at 10:47 PM
Subscribe to 51st everyone!
If you’re in DC or the region: great reporting, human stories, worker owned.
If you’re not in DC: get to learn about all the stuff that goes on here that’s not directly federal related (though certainly inflicted a lot)
If you’re in DC or the region: great reporting, human stories, worker owned.
If you’re not in DC: get to learn about all the stuff that goes on here that’s not directly federal related (though certainly inflicted a lot)
Reposted by Daphna
And then the price of cars without these things will not go down, people will die, *and* carmakers will charge *more* for them as optional extras, so only rich people will be safe. And then we will all have to be shocked, shocked.
www.wsj.com/business/aut...
www.wsj.com/business/aut...
Exclusive | Senate Committee to Challenge Auto-Safety Mandates That Hurt ‘Affordability’
Republicans are questioning the value of some features, such as automatic braking and rear-seat reminders.
www.wsj.com
November 25, 2025 at 9:01 PM
And then the price of cars without these things will not go down, people will die, *and* carmakers will charge *more* for them as optional extras, so only rich people will be safe. And then we will all have to be shocked, shocked.
www.wsj.com/business/aut...
www.wsj.com/business/aut...
Reposted by Daphna
republicans are a death cult
Exclusive: Republicans plan to challenge vehicle-safety mandates, such as automatic emergency braking and alarms that remind drivers a child is in the back seat.
Senate Committee to Challenge Auto-Safety Mandates That Hurt ‘Affordability’
Republicans are questioning the value of some features, such as automatic braking and rear-seat reminders.
on.wsj.com
November 25, 2025 at 8:46 PM
republicans are a death cult
Reposted by Daphna
It's the myth that technology=progress that we've all been fed nonstop in every form of media or messaging all our lives. It's a myth.
Literally zooming into a dark age somehow hastened by technology and innovation is weird to think about
November 25, 2025 at 8:09 PM
It's the myth that technology=progress that we've all been fed nonstop in every form of media or messaging all our lives. It's a myth.
Reposted by Daphna
In 1924, Calvin Coolidge's 16-yr-old son played tennis on the White House grounds w/o wearing socks. He got a blister and was dead from infection a week later.
This is unthinkable today—which is why I wrote this series. Cuz the systems that save us from this kind of fate are in urgent need of care.
This is unthinkable today—which is why I wrote this series. Cuz the systems that save us from this kind of fate are in urgent need of care.
For a yr, I've been working on a series for The New Atlantis about the vast systems that underlie our lives. Our ancestors built them up over decades to fend off hunger, thirst, darkness and disease. But too few of us know about them—and they're all at risk. The conclusion is now available online:
Why We Are Better Off Than a Century Ago
Our ancestors built grand public systems to conquer hunger, thirst, darkness, and squalor. That progress can be lost if we forget it.
www.thenewatlantis.com
November 25, 2025 at 9:03 PM
In 1924, Calvin Coolidge's 16-yr-old son played tennis on the White House grounds w/o wearing socks. He got a blister and was dead from infection a week later.
This is unthinkable today—which is why I wrote this series. Cuz the systems that save us from this kind of fate are in urgent need of care.
This is unthinkable today—which is why I wrote this series. Cuz the systems that save us from this kind of fate are in urgent need of care.
Reposted by Daphna
Look, women no longer do shit for free is actually at the root of a lot of social disruption. The question is whether you think the solution is women going back to being unpaid and unprotected by their own labor.
November 25, 2025 at 7:34 PM
Look, women no longer do shit for free is actually at the root of a lot of social disruption. The question is whether you think the solution is women going back to being unpaid and unprotected by their own labor.