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James Davenport

@jradavenport.com

5.6K followers 320 following 2K posts

Coffee drinking, year-round-plaid wearing space dad. Astronomy professor in Seattle. Searching for ET, caring for humans. https://jradavenport.github.io

jradavenport.github.io

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James Davenport @jradavenport.com · Jan 22

I listen to @npr.org every day (s/o @kuow.org). Today I'm lucky & proud to be part of a piece talking about SETI and the amazing future of 🔭🧪🎧⭐ with @vrubinobs.bsky.social. Thank you to my friend Regina & the Short Wave team for having me on!

www.npr.org/2025/01/22/1...

Why some astronomers are excited about the search for alien life : Short Wave

Around the turn of the century, 3.8 million people banded together in a real-time search for aliens — with screensavers. It was a big moment in a century-long concerted search for extraterrestrial int...

www.npr.org

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James Davenport @jradavenport.com · 5h

My kids came home saying “6 7” today, and I’m so happy for them. We used to say pointless shit constantly, I still do, and it’s nice to belong to the moment you’re in. #thekidsarealright

Reposted by James Davenport

Katie Mack @astrokatie.com · 6d

I think for me the most compelling answer for "why fund basic research?" (and the one most relevant to the people doing the work) is that humans are curious and finding stuff out makes us happy and fulfilled. Science is a thing humans like. Life would be more dull and sad if we didn't do it.

end/🧵

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James Davenport @jradavenport.com · 6h

Inflatable frogs costumes are under $60 online right now, with delivery by next week… just in time for the next wave of fascist propaganda. Order yours soon!

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Reposted by James Davenport

Adam Serwer @adamserwer.bsky.social · 9h

www.wweek.com/culture/2025...

Can you put into words what that purpose is? You and the frog have really become icons of this protest.

There’s been a nice overall whimsy that has shown up. The frog is amazing. We had a bunch of other inflatable people here last night, too. I saw people playing Twister the other day.

What they rely on is fear. So by coming out in an absurdist manner, it speaks to them, to some extent, that we’re actually not that afraid.

It also dismantles their narrative a little bit. When they try to describe this situation as “war-torn,” it becomes much harder to take them seriously when they have to post a video saying [U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security] Kristi Noem is up on the balcony staring over the Antifa Army and it’s, like, eight journalists and five protesters and one of them is in a chicken suit.

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James Davenport @jradavenport.com · 6h

They always had a soft money portion of their operations for folks, but it reads to me like now not giving people stability if they can’t bring in $$$$.

James Davenport @jradavenport.com · 9h

It often takes us two months to review applications, sometimes more. It doesn’t hurt to just inquire about the timeline once, as others have noted, but don’t be surprised if things are moving slow.

James Davenport @jradavenport.com · 9h

The All-American halftime show, to protest a halftime show headlined by an American citizen? These people are the stupidest kind of assholes

The Washington Post @washingtonpost.com · 16h

Turning Point USA announced it will host counterprogramming to the Super Bowl halftime show, called “The All American Halftime Show,” as MAGA critics have been enraged over the selection of Bad Bunny as the 2026 headliner.

MAGA rage over Bad Bunny at Super Bowl sparks an alternative show

Counterprogramming hosted by the group that Charlie Kirk founded spotlights the growing political polarization surrounding one of the biggest events of the year.

www.washingtonpost.com

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James Davenport @jradavenport.com · 15h

I know I look like the kind of guy who would talk endlessly about the craftsmanship in American "heritage" work boots and The Wire... but I actually didn't like The Wire. Still a 10/10 rec from me.

Now let me tell you about my Iron Rangers...

Juno Rylee Schultz @junoryleejournalism.com · 1d

David Simon, creator of ‘The Wire’, being interviewed by Ari Shapiro (NPR)

SHAPIRO: OK, so you've spent your career creating television without Al, and I could imagine today you thinking, boy, I wish I had had that tool to solve those thorny problems...
SIMON: What?
SHAPIRO: ...Or saying...
SIMON: You imagine that?
SHAPIRO: ...Boy, if that had existed, it would have screwed me over.
SIMON: I don't think Al can remotely challenge what writers do at a fundamentally creative level.
SHAPIRO: But if you're trying to transition from scene five to scene six, and you're stuck with that transition, you could imagine plugging that portion of the script into an Al and say, give me 10 ideas for how to transition this.
SIMON: I'd rather put a gun in my mouth.

James Davenport @jradavenport.com · 15h

Gov't takes sensible stance for horrific reasons... I hate this timeline

Justin Baragona @justinbaragona.bsky.social · 18h

Besides linking Tylenol in pregnant women to autism, RFK Jr. now says circumcision is part of the reason why kids are autistic.

"Children who are circumcised early have double the rate of autism, and it's highly likely because they're given Tylenol. None of this is positive..."

Reposted by James Davenport

Juno Rylee Schultz @junoryleejournalism.com · 1d

David Simon, creator of ‘The Wire’, being interviewed by Ari Shapiro (NPR)

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James Davenport @jradavenport.com · 18h

Glad to see an amazing astronomer on the list of MacArthur awards this year - congrats to Kareem El-Badry! 🔭
www.macfound.org/fellows/clas...

Kareem El-Badry

Expanding our knowledge of binary star systems, black holes, and other wonders of the universe.

www.macfound.org

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James Davenport @jradavenport.com · 19h

Have not heard that UW Physics is canceling, for example

Reposted by James Davenport

Kai Ryssdal @kairyssdal.bsky.social · 1d

This is the lesson of 2025

Quinta Jurecic @qjurecic.bsky.social · 1d

he's going to come after you either way, so you might as well act with integrity

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James Davenport @jradavenport.com · 1d

I think that’s a lot of what we do here on Bsky. I don’t think a lot of the doom scrolling is really fighting back, but at least we aren’t actively ignoring the reality

James Davenport @jradavenport.com · 1d

On a call this AM, folks discussing the attacks on academia and non profits. Someone said “there’s nothing we can do to stop them coming for us, so we shouldn’t waste time discussing it in this group”, and I fundamentally disagree. We can acknowledge it, witness it, reassure eachother

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Reposted by James Davenport

Jack Jenkins @jackjenkins.me · 1d

Yes, and, also, I still think it's likely an overall negative for society.

Conrad Hackett @conradhackett.bsky.social · 2d

Has anything great happened in your life because of social media?

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James Davenport @jradavenport.com · 1d

The math, code, plots, data, analysis… these are just our chords. Music (science) come from combining them with both structure and creativity.

👻 Prof. Ghosty Neilsen 👻 @joeyneilsen.bsky.social · 1d

I think scientists are sometimes dismissive of creative work. It's sad for a lot of reasons, one of which is certainly that creative work makes the world a richer place to live. Another one is that scientists are extremely dependent on the idea machine and ought to celebrate all its many dispensers.

Emma Evans @trance.bsky.social · 1d

questions which are stupid because they're asking for magic shortcuts. They want to know how to do a thing without work.

Which is why also creatives are often treated like what we do isn't work

NOT REALLY.

When skull sweat is labor and laborous.

Anyway when all else fails, sleep on it.

Reposted by James Davenport

Yvette Cendes @whereisyvette.bsky.social · 1d

Are you interested in working on astronomical transients/ radio astronomy, all while exploring the beautiful Pacific Northwest on your weekends? I'm hiring a postdoc! Come work for me!

aas.org/jobregister/...

Please get in touch if you have any questions!

🔭🧪🎢

Postdoctoral Positions in Time-Domain Astronomy | American Astronomical Society

The department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Oregon invites applications for a postdoctoral scholar to work with Prof. Yvette Cendes in the field of time-domain astrophysics. This inc...

aas.org

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