Henry Merrilees
@henrym.bsky.social
Software at Diderot — LA+Chicago
My much cooler twin: @kristinmerrilees.bsky.social at phonetime.news
My much cooler twin: @kristinmerrilees.bsky.social at phonetime.news
If anything, most of us move on from these war crimes far too quickly. I don't really understand the point of policing or critiquing people's emotional reactions to what we all agree is despicable beyond any justification.
February 11, 2026 at 7:48 AM
If anything, most of us move on from these war crimes far too quickly. I don't really understand the point of policing or critiquing people's emotional reactions to what we all agree is despicable beyond any justification.
Is it an appeal to emotion or is it reflecting the emotion of the victims? Reading the article it would seem that at least one person, who said that the lack of recoverable body to bury was the hardest part.
February 11, 2026 at 7:44 AM
Is it an appeal to emotion or is it reflecting the emotion of the victims? Reading the article it would seem that at least one person, who said that the lack of recoverable body to bury was the hardest part.
It's possible that I am misreading and that isn't what you're saying either.
February 11, 2026 at 7:41 AM
It's possible that I am misreading and that isn't what you're saying either.
I'm confused what you think Al Jazeera is making up here. It seems like someone had a misconception that the use of Thermobaric weapons is inherently a war crime, or, as you interpreted, that their manufacture violates the Geneva Conventions. I can't find either claim in the article itself.
February 11, 2026 at 7:40 AM
I'm confused what you think Al Jazeera is making up here. It seems like someone had a misconception that the use of Thermobaric weapons is inherently a war crime, or, as you interpreted, that their manufacture violates the Geneva Conventions. I can't find either claim in the article itself.
Congratulations!!!
January 14, 2026 at 9:45 PM
Congratulations!!!
It’s a difficult also when AI is often used to mean “ML that the speaker doesn’t like”
November 9, 2025 at 9:14 PM
It’s a difficult also when AI is often used to mean “ML that the speaker doesn’t like”
Fascinating shift of language from when many ML practitioners were skeptical of being associated with symbolic AI to now having users want to distinguish the part of ML itself (LLMs) as AI from the rest of ML
November 9, 2025 at 9:09 PM
Fascinating shift of language from when many ML practitioners were skeptical of being associated with symbolic AI to now having users want to distinguish the part of ML itself (LLMs) as AI from the rest of ML
Has always been the case! And historically even broader beyond ML to include predominantly symbolic methods!
November 9, 2025 at 9:03 PM
Has always been the case! And historically even broader beyond ML to include predominantly symbolic methods!
Reposted by Henry Merrilees
I would love to be part of the conversation on MSNBC related to the Kimmel story and it's chilling effects on first amendment, but unfortunately I was terminated by MSNBC for stating that "hateful thoughts lead to hateful words which lead to hateful actions".
September 18, 2025 at 1:58 PM
I would love to be part of the conversation on MSNBC related to the Kimmel story and it's chilling effects on first amendment, but unfortunately I was terminated by MSNBC for stating that "hateful thoughts lead to hateful words which lead to hateful actions".
Reposted by Henry Merrilees
Blue Oak (Quercus douglasii) is California’s most drought-tolerant deciduous oak. Its deep roots, small canopy, and tough blue-green leaves help it endure dry conditions.
#Oaks #Nature #Wildlife #California #LearnAboutNature #DiscoverOaks #NativePlants #DroughtTolerantPlants
#Oaks #Nature #Wildlife #California #LearnAboutNature #DiscoverOaks #NativePlants #DroughtTolerantPlants
September 11, 2025 at 1:03 AM
Blue Oak (Quercus douglasii) is California’s most drought-tolerant deciduous oak. Its deep roots, small canopy, and tough blue-green leaves help it endure dry conditions.
#Oaks #Nature #Wildlife #California #LearnAboutNature #DiscoverOaks #NativePlants #DroughtTolerantPlants
#Oaks #Nature #Wildlife #California #LearnAboutNature #DiscoverOaks #NativePlants #DroughtTolerantPlants
Reposted by Henry Merrilees
Rust for Rustaceans is a good read. That is all.
August 22, 2025 at 12:28 AM
Rust for Rustaceans is a good read. That is all.
Your stuff is so awesome! Inspired me to start using my plotter again!
August 17, 2025 at 6:35 PM
Your stuff is so awesome! Inspired me to start using my plotter again!
Reposted by Henry Merrilees
My baby boy's first wonky media mention.
www.newsweek.com/donald-trump...
www.newsweek.com/donald-trump...
August 5, 2025 at 2:41 AM
My baby boy's first wonky media mention.
www.newsweek.com/donald-trump...
www.newsweek.com/donald-trump...
They have Kahnmigo, which AFAICT does not claim any of these capabilities today. In the context of the interview (he’s on the podcast/interview circuit to sell his new book), i don’t want to speculate on what he thinks Kahn Academy will do in the future without reading it, which I probably won’t :/
June 27, 2025 at 7:11 PM
They have Kahnmigo, which AFAICT does not claim any of these capabilities today. In the context of the interview (he’s on the podcast/interview circuit to sell his new book), i don’t want to speculate on what he thinks Kahn Academy will do in the future without reading it, which I probably won’t :/
And to address more directly, I agree completely that not all problems are software engineering problems. Especially here. But with regard to the initial claim about technical capability, that is a software engineering problem, though necessarily also invoking many other disciplines.
June 27, 2025 at 7:01 PM
And to address more directly, I agree completely that not all problems are software engineering problems. Especially here. But with regard to the initial claim about technical capability, that is a software engineering problem, though necessarily also invoking many other disciplines.
But “Kahn Academy is not well suited to realize these speculations, descriptively or ethically” is very different from “nobody will ever,” which was the initial claim.
June 27, 2025 at 6:57 PM
But “Kahn Academy is not well suited to realize these speculations, descriptively or ethically” is very different from “nobody will ever,” which was the initial claim.
I might be lost here but I thought this is just Sal Kahn speculating as to what could be done as opposed to any company making claims as to what they were going to do. I agree wholeheartedly if it were the latter, and for the former, I think his speculations are premature.
June 27, 2025 at 6:54 PM
I might be lost here but I thought this is just Sal Kahn speculating as to what could be done as opposed to any company making claims as to what they were going to do. I agree wholeheartedly if it were the latter, and for the former, I think his speculations are premature.
(End excerpt)
Obviously this is extraordinarily difficult to get right and potentially misses a lot of what teachers do in a traditional classroom (including the bad stuff!) but my point is simply that evidence is needed to get from there to “no pathway.”
Obviously this is extraordinarily difficult to get right and potentially misses a lot of what teachers do in a traditional classroom (including the bad stuff!) but my point is simply that evidence is needed to get from there to “no pathway.”
June 27, 2025 at 6:48 PM
(End excerpt)
Obviously this is extraordinarily difficult to get right and potentially misses a lot of what teachers do in a traditional classroom (including the bad stuff!) but my point is simply that evidence is needed to get from there to “no pathway.”
Obviously this is extraordinarily difficult to get right and potentially misses a lot of what teachers do in a traditional classroom (including the bad stuff!) but my point is simply that evidence is needed to get from there to “no pathway.”
And then, they're able to distill all of that and communicate to the parents. It's not once a term. It's almost real time.
June 27, 2025 at 6:44 PM
And then, they're able to distill all of that and communicate to the parents. It's not once a term. It's almost real time.
And then, they'll report back to the teacher and say, 'Hey, I noticed Katty is not as engaged as she was yesterday' or 'Sal's really engaged today. Did you know that he's really into baseball? Let's make the next example about that just for Sal!'…
June 27, 2025 at 6:44 PM
And then, they'll report back to the teacher and say, 'Hey, I noticed Katty is not as engaged as she was yesterday' or 'Sal's really engaged today. Did you know that he's really into baseball? Let's make the next example about that just for Sal!'…
Relevant section:
When class starts, those grad students, along with the teacher, are going to be able to walk around and help your children when they need it. They don't have to wait for that help….
When class starts, those grad students, along with the teacher, are going to be able to walk around and help your children when they need it. They don't have to wait for that help….
June 27, 2025 at 6:44 PM
Relevant section:
When class starts, those grad students, along with the teacher, are going to be able to walk around and help your children when they need it. They don't have to wait for that help….
When class starts, those grad students, along with the teacher, are going to be able to walk around and help your children when they need it. They don't have to wait for that help….
Sal Kahn interview in which he is optimistic about AI in education and speculates about potential uses.
June 27, 2025 at 6:43 PM
Sal Kahn interview in which he is optimistic about AI in education and speculates about potential uses.
Incredibly low! Which can be readily admitted without at all conceding either “no pathway” (initial claim) or “no ethical or responsible way it can be done” (normative claim, distinct in my view but certainly worth addressing).
June 27, 2025 at 6:39 PM
Incredibly low! Which can be readily admitted without at all conceding either “no pathway” (initial claim) or “no ethical or responsible way it can be done” (normative claim, distinct in my view but certainly worth addressing).
Any engagement metric could indeed be used to marginalize neurodivergence. Should be expected to, like you said. But these are conditions of our vocationally-oriented education system as it exists, not an ethical impossibility inherent to the technology that would justify “no pathway” as claimed.
June 27, 2025 at 3:22 AM
Any engagement metric could indeed be used to marginalize neurodivergence. Should be expected to, like you said. But these are conditions of our vocationally-oriented education system as it exists, not an ethical impossibility inherent to the technology that would justify “no pathway” as claimed.
I wasn’t clear enough, but my response was intended to hinge on that current tech does not have the capabilities you mentioned.
June 27, 2025 at 3:07 AM
I wasn’t clear enough, but my response was intended to hinge on that current tech does not have the capabilities you mentioned.