Eli LF
@elilevensonfalk.bsky.social
Associate Prof. of Physics & Astro at USC, running Levenson-Falk Lab and studying all things quantum with superconducting circuits. Personal account: physics, sports, politics, and terrible puns.
Reposted by Eli LF
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 Eli LF
Andor doesn’t have an episode where someone joins the Taliban because they’re having relationship issues while on vacation at the Orgy Planet, advantage goes to DS9 there
andor is a modern day DS9 in scope and tone
November 24, 2025 at 9:25 PM
Andor doesn’t have an episode where someone joins the Taliban because they’re having relationship issues while on vacation at the Orgy Planet, advantage goes to DS9 there
Reposted by Eli LF
Man Who Thought Fleetwood Mac’s ‘The Chain’ Was Over In For Thrill Of His Fucking Life https://theonion.com/man-who-thought-fleetwood-macs-the-chain-was-over-in-for-thrill-of-his-fucking-life/
November 24, 2025 at 9:30 PM
Man Who Thought Fleetwood Mac’s ‘The Chain’ Was Over In For Thrill Of His Fucking Life https://theonion.com/man-who-thought-fleetwood-macs-the-chain-was-over-in-for-thrill-of-his-fucking-life/
Reposted by Eli LF
Being vulgar isn’t the goal of roasting. EARNING CAMARADERIE IS THE POINT. You display the empathy to accurately asses others’ vulnerabilities, the craft to make fun at them without destroying underlying respect for their humanity, and you earn satisfaction of earning their esteem.
November 24, 2025 at 4:54 PM
Being vulgar isn’t the goal of roasting. EARNING CAMARADERIE IS THE POINT. You display the empathy to accurately asses others’ vulnerabilities, the craft to make fun at them without destroying underlying respect for their humanity, and you earn satisfaction of earning their esteem.
Reposted by Eli LF
I still stand firm by a particular stance:
We have so many phenomenal, talented, and good scientists. We don't need to platform and financially support those who use their positions and power as scientists to take advantage of and harm people, especially students and junior colleagues.
We have so many phenomenal, talented, and good scientists. We don't need to platform and financially support those who use their positions and power as scientists to take advantage of and harm people, especially students and junior colleagues.
November 23, 2025 at 2:33 PM
I still stand firm by a particular stance:
We have so many phenomenal, talented, and good scientists. We don't need to platform and financially support those who use their positions and power as scientists to take advantage of and harm people, especially students and junior colleagues.
We have so many phenomenal, talented, and good scientists. We don't need to platform and financially support those who use their positions and power as scientists to take advantage of and harm people, especially students and junior colleagues.
Reposted by Eli LF
The entrance to the 3-storey bike parking garage at Utrecht Central holding 12,500 bicycles. It’s free for the first 24 hours, linked to the station, and used by tens of thousands every day. This is what happens when a country treats bikes as real transport infrastructure, not an afterthought.
November 22, 2025 at 7:08 PM
The entrance to the 3-storey bike parking garage at Utrecht Central holding 12,500 bicycles. It’s free for the first 24 hours, linked to the station, and used by tens of thousands every day. This is what happens when a country treats bikes as real transport infrastructure, not an afterthought.
Reposted by Eli LF
Reposted by Eli LF
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 4:50 PM
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. 🧪
I can't believe this needs to be said, but yes, it is a fireable offense for a professor to brag about holding a student's career hostage to coerce her into sleeping with him
November 20, 2025 at 3:54 PM
I can't believe this needs to be said, but yes, it is a fireable offense for a professor to brag about holding a student's career hostage to coerce her into sleeping with him
Reposted by Eli LF
"In hindsight, I regret talking to Epstein in a durable medium about the students I was trying to bang."
November 18, 2025 at 8:31 AM
"In hindsight, I regret talking to Epstein in a durable medium about the students I was trying to bang."
Reposted by Eli LF
Should these people be allowed to vote? Yes of course, voting tests are bad. Should they be allowed to use up valuable oxygen? Well,
November 18, 2025 at 2:27 PM
Should these people be allowed to vote? Yes of course, voting tests are bad. Should they be allowed to use up valuable oxygen? Well,
Reposted by Eli LF
THIS IS BIG
For non-academics who might not understand why:
1. Sen. Warren is still a Harvard professor so this is a call coming from inside the house
2. As a tenured law prof, Warren knows it is a VERY big deal from a labor standpoint to call on Harvard to ignore tenure. The bar for this is HIGH.
For non-academics who might not understand why:
1. Sen. Warren is still a Harvard professor so this is a call coming from inside the house
2. As a tenured law prof, Warren knows it is a VERY big deal from a labor standpoint to call on Harvard to ignore tenure. The bar for this is HIGH.
Per CNN, Elizabeth Warren is calling on Harvard to cut ties with Larry Summers after Jeffrey Epstein's emails released last week by House Dems featured Summers making sexist comments + asking for Epstein’s romantic advice.
November 18, 2025 at 12:43 AM
THIS IS BIG
For non-academics who might not understand why:
1. Sen. Warren is still a Harvard professor so this is a call coming from inside the house
2. As a tenured law prof, Warren knows it is a VERY big deal from a labor standpoint to call on Harvard to ignore tenure. The bar for this is HIGH.
For non-academics who might not understand why:
1. Sen. Warren is still a Harvard professor so this is a call coming from inside the house
2. As a tenured law prof, Warren knows it is a VERY big deal from a labor standpoint to call on Harvard to ignore tenure. The bar for this is HIGH.
Reposted by Eli LF
Free speech is more than me being allowed to say what I want. Everyone also has to like it and tell me I'm a smart and handsome boy
November 18, 2025 at 12:13 AM
Free speech is more than me being allowed to say what I want. Everyone also has to like it and tell me I'm a smart and handsome boy
Reposted by Eli LF
women are always saying “lord grant me the confidence of a mediocre man.” ok well he did. now what. is the world a better place? look at what you’ve wrought.
Olivia Nuzzi's 'American Canto': Read the Exclusive Excerpt
She flamed out and she faded away. 'Vanity Fair'’s West Coast Editor returns to the written word to survey scorched earth.
www.vanityfair.com
November 17, 2025 at 3:46 PM
women are always saying “lord grant me the confidence of a mediocre man.” ok well he did. now what. is the world a better place? look at what you’ve wrought.
Reposted by Eli LF
Faculty discipline committees should really normalize de-tenuring/dismissal investigations for the sort of behavior described in the Summers case
A senior academic using mentoring as leverage to obtain sex is a contemptible abuser of power.
Summers conferred with Epstein frequently about how to extract sexual favors from a Harvard econ grad (AB '04, PhD '09)
The grad is from China
Epstein and Summers referred to her by the codename "Peril"
Racism and sexual exploitation in one efficient package
bit.ly/3LHpin8
The grad is from China
Epstein and Summers referred to her by the codename "Peril"
Racism and sexual exploitation in one efficient package
bit.ly/3LHpin8
November 17, 2025 at 2:34 PM
Faculty discipline committees should really normalize de-tenuring/dismissal investigations for the sort of behavior described in the Summers case
Reposted by Eli LF
Thinking about how Summers and Epstein both frequently manipulated the media into giving or withholding coverage when they wanted and how the same media mysteriously decided to wage a scorched earth jihad against Harvard's President Claudine Gay. It's a strange coincidence to ponder!
Faculty discipline committees should really normalize de-tenuring/dismissal investigations for the sort of behavior described in the Summers case
A senior academic using mentoring as leverage to obtain sex is a contemptible abuser of power.
November 17, 2025 at 2:44 PM
Thinking about how Summers and Epstein both frequently manipulated the media into giving or withholding coverage when they wanted and how the same media mysteriously decided to wage a scorched earth jihad against Harvard's President Claudine Gay. It's a strange coincidence to ponder!
Reposted by Eli LF
Also, if Republicans say “Republicans don’t care about this,” perhaps, just perhaps, they are lying.
made a similar point on the opinions podcast this week in response to the idea that epstein is a dead end. not only are actual voters interested in this but it divides the gop and puts pressure on the president. it would be political malpractice to treat it as a sideshow
The usual suspects are telling Dems that Epstein won’t win elections, get back to “affordability” and I think my head might explode. www.offmessage.net/p/force-a-re...
November 15, 2025 at 7:25 PM
Also, if Republicans say “Republicans don’t care about this,” perhaps, just perhaps, they are lying.
Reposted by Eli LF
A lot of education discourse is at root an inability to decide whether the purpose of our education system is to 1) teach material and measure learning 2) reward students who work hard 3) separate the smart kids (destined for smart guy jobs) from the dumb kids (destined to serve the smart guys)
November 15, 2025 at 5:52 PM
A lot of education discourse is at root an inability to decide whether the purpose of our education system is to 1) teach material and measure learning 2) reward students who work hard 3) separate the smart kids (destined for smart guy jobs) from the dumb kids (destined to serve the smart guys)
I don't know if I could come up with a better way to induce psychosis
The app Text With Jesus uses artificial intelligence and chatbots to offer spiritual guidance to users who are looking to connect with a higher power: on.nbc10.com/7XM8xrf
People can text with Jesus on a controversial new app. How does it work?
Artificial intelligence app Text With Jesus lets users chat with biblical figures and it is raising debate over faith and technology.
on.nbc10.com
November 14, 2025 at 10:46 PM
I don't know if I could come up with a better way to induce psychosis
Reposted by Eli LF
Love to bike to work through the middle of the vehicular manslaughter arms race
![4-panel vertical comic. (1) 100 Years Ago [two people standing next to bicycle with small car nearby] PERSON 1: It’s too dangerous riding a bike with these cars around. I should get a car, too. (2) 50 Years Ago [two people between smaller car and bigger car] PERSON 2 with short hair: Small cars are less safe in collisions with larger vehicles, so I should get a bigger one. (3) Today [two people between big car and even bigger car] PERSON 1: Everyone has huge SUVs now. If I don’t get the biggest one, I’m putting my family at risk. (4) Soon [two people next to large armored car with spiked clubs attached] PERSON 2: If I don’t install more whirling spike clubs, I’ll be destroyed by all the other drivers who...](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:cz73r7iyiqn26upot4jtjdhk/bafkreiby6can6k76yzfmv2czxs4pu2l7zie7bqbrpswi7h3ifmiadkuqvu@jpeg)
November 14, 2025 at 9:51 PM
Love to bike to work through the middle of the vehicular manslaughter arms race
Reposted by Eli LF
This should be on a plaque at the base of the Statue of Liberty.
Ate at a Thai/Jewish fusion food truck named L'Thaim and it was fantastic. Curry latkes.
November 14, 2025 at 6:42 PM
This should be on a plaque at the base of the Statue of Liberty.
(Wokely) "The Jews are to blame."
Epstein was a Mossad operative.
Deal with it.
There's nothing antisemitic about being against genocide
Deal with it.
There's nothing antisemitic about being against genocide
November 14, 2025 at 3:01 PM
(Wokely) "The Jews are to blame."
By my rough estimate, 163% of US researchers meet at least one of these criteria.
“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 3:03 AM
By my rough estimate, 163% of US researchers meet at least one of these criteria.
The thing I'm learning from these abhorrent emails is that there are like 100 people who are responsible for 90% of the problems in America and they're all sex criminals. Put em all in the same courtroom, let's save time and money on the trial!
November 13, 2025 at 3:21 AM
The thing I'm learning from these abhorrent emails is that there are like 100 people who are responsible for 90% of the problems in America and they're all sex criminals. Put em all in the same courtroom, let's save time and money on the trial!
Reposted by Eli LF
As all this disgusting Epstein shit starts surfacing more and more, I hope we don't lose sight of the fact that apparently every major media outlet knew everything and instead spent their time money and energy attacking the trans community.
November 13, 2025 at 1:07 AM
As all this disgusting Epstein shit starts surfacing more and more, I hope we don't lose sight of the fact that apparently every major media outlet knew everything and instead spent their time money and energy attacking the trans community.