Jonathan Stray
@jonathanstray.bsky.social
Knowing things is a solved problem. Getting along is not. Working on AI, media, and inter-group conflict @CHAI_Berkeley. Got here from computational journalism.
Pinned
Jonathan Stray
@jonathanstray.bsky.social
· Oct 23
Introducing GreenEarth
We're building advanced open source algorithms for social media
greenearthsocial.substack.com
GreenEarth is creating open source AI-driven recommender infrastructure for BlueSky. Type a prompt, see your feed change. We are here for the users, the builders, the dreamers. Join us.
greenearthsocial.substack.com/p/introducin...
greenearthsocial.substack.com/p/introducin...
The Sagrada Familia is every bit as awe inspiring as you’ve heard.
November 24, 2025 at 9:14 PM
The Sagrada Familia is every bit as awe inspiring as you’ve heard.
I’ve just discovered King Tubby and my understanding of music history is changed forever. He invented dub and pioneered the producer-as-creator… in the 1970s
November 22, 2025 at 9:59 AM
I’ve just discovered King Tubby and my understanding of music history is changed forever. He invented dub and pioneered the producer-as-creator… in the 1970s
Ok. I love this conference but my first and probably biggest criticism of #buildpeace2025 is that, although “plurality” is a recurring theme, pretty much everyone here has strongly progressive politics. A lot of talking *about* the other, not *with* them.
November 21, 2025 at 11:47 AM
Ok. I love this conference but my first and probably biggest criticism of #buildpeace2025 is that, although “plurality” is a recurring theme, pretty much everyone here has strongly progressive politics. A lot of talking *about* the other, not *with* them.
November 21, 2025 at 11:11 AM
Reviewing papers for IASEAI 26 is exciting! Lots of groundbreaking AI safety work! But I can’t help shake a certain imposter syndrome… I am now literally a gatekeeper in my field.
November 21, 2025 at 7:38 AM
Reviewing papers for IASEAI 26 is exciting! Lots of groundbreaking AI safety work! But I can’t help shake a certain imposter syndrome… I am now literally a gatekeeper in my field.
I saw Bugonia and wow.
Not for the faint of heart, but incredible.
Not for the faint of heart, but incredible.
November 15, 2025 at 6:05 PM
I saw Bugonia and wow.
Not for the faint of heart, but incredible.
Not for the faint of heart, but incredible.
So I met this guy who’s meditated 4000 conversations between Israelis and Palestinians since October 7th. And he’s building an AI powered platform for difficult conversations. Here’s what he’s learned. www.betterconflictbulletin.org/p/what-you-c...
What You Can Learn from 4,000 Conversations Between Israelis and Palestinians
Adam Becker is building an AI-powered platform for difficult conversations - BCB #171
www.betterconflictbulletin.org
November 13, 2025 at 2:47 PM
So I met this guy who’s meditated 4000 conversations between Israelis and Palestinians since October 7th. And he’s building an AI powered platform for difficult conversations. Here’s what he’s learned. www.betterconflictbulletin.org/p/what-you-c...
This date could have been a sext.
November 13, 2025 at 2:28 AM
This date could have been a sext.
ATProto is just a 21st century NNTP, amirite?
November 9, 2025 at 1:12 AM
ATProto is just a 21st century NNTP, amirite?
@lawfaremedia.org where are you on this? I need expert Sandwich Guy legal analysis. The fate of our nation depends upon it.
Agent Lairmore is done with his testimony. Prosecution asked further about the condiments and he said there was mustard on his uniform and an onion hanging on his radio antenna. Don’t think defense was going for a pun when she called him a “seasoned officer,” but you never know…
November 5, 2025 at 8:57 PM
@lawfaremedia.org where are you on this? I need expert Sandwich Guy legal analysis. The fate of our nation depends upon it.
I've been saying that putting AI in charge of business will immediately result in fraud from the optimization pressure to make money, and lo! the experimenters have found the effect.
www.lesswrong.com/posts/LMwkQL...
www.lesswrong.com/posts/LMwkQL...
November 5, 2025 at 7:04 AM
I've been saying that putting AI in charge of business will immediately result in fraud from the optimization pressure to make money, and lo! the experimenters have found the effect.
www.lesswrong.com/posts/LMwkQL...
www.lesswrong.com/posts/LMwkQL...
I've said that newsrooms should engage in internal "adversarial collaboration" to figure out how to report on contentious political issues. Here's @tanglenews.bsky.social actually doing that, with a conservative staffer grappling with the editor's opinions.
www.readtangle.com/things-are-s...
www.readtangle.com/things-are-s...
The conservative view: Things are still bad.
The context of Trumpism his critics keep missing.
www.readtangle.com
October 31, 2025 at 7:23 PM
I've said that newsrooms should engage in internal "adversarial collaboration" to figure out how to report on contentious political issues. Here's @tanglenews.bsky.social actually doing that, with a conservative staffer grappling with the editor's opinions.
www.readtangle.com/things-are-s...
www.readtangle.com/things-are-s...
I'm really trying to figure out why I dislike TRON Legacy so much. I am a big TRON fan and I just blotted it from my memory. I thought Ares was actually much better as a TRON film. Legacy's design language just feels too much like an iMac commercial. It's not the inside of a computer anymore.
October 25, 2025 at 6:18 AM
I'm really trying to figure out why I dislike TRON Legacy so much. I am a big TRON fan and I just blotted it from my memory. I thought Ares was actually much better as a TRON film. Legacy's design language just feels too much like an iMac commercial. It's not the inside of a computer anymore.
I grew up in Toronto. I could be a Jays fan again, sure.
October 25, 2025 at 4:46 AM
I grew up in Toronto. I could be a Jays fan again, sure.
Writing R code like it's 2014.
October 23, 2025 at 11:13 PM
Writing R code like it's 2014.
Reposted by Jonathan Stray
Great quote:
Most people who like BJJ really like BJJ, but most people who enjoy running only “kind of” like it. So if you are optimizing for “engagement,” videos about BJJ is a stronger signal...than videos about running! This has nothing to do with content; it is all about co-viewership patterns
Most people who like BJJ really like BJJ, but most people who enjoy running only “kind of” like it. So if you are optimizing for “engagement,” videos about BJJ is a stronger signal...than videos about running! This has nothing to do with content; it is all about co-viewership patterns
New analysis finds TikTok "systematically boosts" Mamdami over Cuomo
medium.com/@dodeles/bey...
Last time someone looked at this, TikTok was found to "boost" Republican content. But what does it mean for an algorithm to "boost" content anyway?
doomscrollingbabel.manoel.xyz/p/does-tikto...
medium.com/@dodeles/bey...
Last time someone looked at this, TikTok was found to "boost" Republican content. But what does it mean for an algorithm to "boost" content anyway?
doomscrollingbabel.manoel.xyz/p/does-tikto...
Does TikTok Amplify Certain Types of Content?
"There and back again"
doomscrollingbabel.manoel.xyz
October 22, 2025 at 1:02 PM
Great quote:
Most people who like BJJ really like BJJ, but most people who enjoy running only “kind of” like it. So if you are optimizing for “engagement,” videos about BJJ is a stronger signal...than videos about running! This has nothing to do with content; it is all about co-viewership patterns
Most people who like BJJ really like BJJ, but most people who enjoy running only “kind of” like it. So if you are optimizing for “engagement,” videos about BJJ is a stronger signal...than videos about running! This has nothing to do with content; it is all about co-viewership patterns
GreenEarth is creating open source AI-driven recommender infrastructure for BlueSky. Type a prompt, see your feed change. We are here for the users, the builders, the dreamers. Join us.
greenearthsocial.substack.com/p/introducin...
greenearthsocial.substack.com/p/introducin...
Introducing GreenEarth
We're building advanced open source algorithms for social media
greenearthsocial.substack.com
October 23, 2025 at 3:08 AM
GreenEarth is creating open source AI-driven recommender infrastructure for BlueSky. Type a prompt, see your feed change. We are here for the users, the builders, the dreamers. Join us.
greenearthsocial.substack.com/p/introducin...
greenearthsocial.substack.com/p/introducin...
tl;dr we live among intersectional bigotry, so any electorally winning political alliance has to include some bigots.
I'm sure many folks here will disagree 😛 Feel free to argue on principle, but can you dispute the numbers?
www.theargumentmag.com/p/bigots-in-...
I'm sure many folks here will disagree 😛 Feel free to argue on principle, but can you dispute the numbers?
www.theargumentmag.com/p/bigots-in-...
Bigots in the tent
What did you think winning meant? vibes? papers? essays? losers.
www.theargumentmag.com
October 22, 2025 at 10:08 PM
tl;dr we live among intersectional bigotry, so any electorally winning political alliance has to include some bigots.
I'm sure many folks here will disagree 😛 Feel free to argue on principle, but can you dispute the numbers?
www.theargumentmag.com/p/bigots-in-...
I'm sure many folks here will disagree 😛 Feel free to argue on principle, but can you dispute the numbers?
www.theargumentmag.com/p/bigots-in-...
The Portland Naked Bicycle Ride succeeded in shifting the media narrative from "violence" to "naked" for a week, even (especially) in right-leaning sources.
www.betterconflictbulletin.org/p/the-strate...
www.betterconflictbulletin.org/p/the-strate...
October 22, 2025 at 4:36 PM
The Portland Naked Bicycle Ride succeeded in shifting the media narrative from "violence" to "naked" for a week, even (especially) in right-leaning sources.
www.betterconflictbulletin.org/p/the-strate...
www.betterconflictbulletin.org/p/the-strate...
New analysis finds TikTok "systematically boosts" Mamdami over Cuomo
medium.com/@dodeles/bey...
Last time someone looked at this, TikTok was found to "boost" Republican content. But what does it mean for an algorithm to "boost" content anyway?
doomscrollingbabel.manoel.xyz/p/does-tikto...
medium.com/@dodeles/bey...
Last time someone looked at this, TikTok was found to "boost" Republican content. But what does it mean for an algorithm to "boost" content anyway?
doomscrollingbabel.manoel.xyz/p/does-tikto...
Does TikTok Amplify Certain Types of Content?
"There and back again"
doomscrollingbabel.manoel.xyz
October 22, 2025 at 1:14 AM
New analysis finds TikTok "systematically boosts" Mamdami over Cuomo
medium.com/@dodeles/bey...
Last time someone looked at this, TikTok was found to "boost" Republican content. But what does it mean for an algorithm to "boost" content anyway?
doomscrollingbabel.manoel.xyz/p/does-tikto...
medium.com/@dodeles/bey...
Last time someone looked at this, TikTok was found to "boost" Republican content. But what does it mean for an algorithm to "boost" content anyway?
doomscrollingbabel.manoel.xyz/p/does-tikto...
Why did links get downranked on Twitter? My best guess (with slight inside info) is:
a) Link posts do less well naturally because of UI, which Twitter now confirms
b) so link posts were formerly *boosted*
c) ranking greatly simplified after Elon, including removing link boost
x.com/nikitabier/s...
a) Link posts do less well naturally because of UI, which Twitter now confirms
b) so link posts were formerly *boosted*
c) ranking greatly simplified after Elon, including removing link boost
x.com/nikitabier/s...
Nikita Bier on X: "We're testing a new link experience, starting on iOS -- to make it easier for your followers to engage with your post while browsing links. For creators, a common complaint is that posts with links tend to get lower reach. This is because the web browser covers the post and https://t.co/oWraLpPwji" / X
We're testing a new link experience, starting on iOS -- to make it easier for your followers to engage with your post while browsing links. For creators, a common complaint is that posts with links tend to get lower reach. This is because the web browser covers the post and https://t.co/oWraLpPwji
x.com
October 21, 2025 at 5:55 PM
Why did links get downranked on Twitter? My best guess (with slight inside info) is:
a) Link posts do less well naturally because of UI, which Twitter now confirms
b) so link posts were formerly *boosted*
c) ranking greatly simplified after Elon, including removing link boost
x.com/nikitabier/s...
a) Link posts do less well naturally because of UI, which Twitter now confirms
b) so link posts were formerly *boosted*
c) ranking greatly simplified after Elon, including removing link boost
x.com/nikitabier/s...
Seeing lots of "did those protests matter?" chatter.
Please see my FAQ.
www.betterconflictbulletin.org/p/does-prote...
Please see my FAQ.
www.betterconflictbulletin.org/p/does-prote...
Does Protest Even Work?
Yes. If it's big enough and non-violent — BCB #144
www.betterconflictbulletin.org
October 21, 2025 at 5:52 PM
Seeing lots of "did those protests matter?" chatter.
Please see my FAQ.
www.betterconflictbulletin.org/p/does-prote...
Please see my FAQ.
www.betterconflictbulletin.org/p/does-prote...
Our team is building open algorithmic feeds for ATProto. The big bet here is not that we can make something radically better than the platforms, but radically more collaborative. We're building tools for everyone to experiment with the problem. And choose what they like best from the results.
October 21, 2025 at 1:53 AM
Our team is building open algorithmic feeds for ATProto. The big bet here is not that we can make something radically better than the platforms, but radically more collaborative. We're building tools for everyone to experiment with the problem. And choose what they like best from the results.
TIL the Apollo 13 astronauts were on team "hotdogs are sandwiches" and I might never be the same.
October 16, 2025 at 10:20 PM
TIL the Apollo 13 astronauts were on team "hotdogs are sandwiches" and I might never be the same.
What people believe about immigration, what the relevant facts are about economics, demographics and crime, who's pushing what narratives, what policies poll well, and what the humane ways out of this disaster might be.
www.betterconflictbulletin.org/p/we-have-to...
www.betterconflictbulletin.org/p/we-have-to...
We Have to Talk About Immigration
Tips and facts for a sensible conversation - BCB #168
www.betterconflictbulletin.org
October 16, 2025 at 2:56 AM
What people believe about immigration, what the relevant facts are about economics, demographics and crime, who's pushing what narratives, what policies poll well, and what the humane ways out of this disaster might be.
www.betterconflictbulletin.org/p/we-have-to...
www.betterconflictbulletin.org/p/we-have-to...