Mike Mahoney
@mikemahoney218.com
Helped build NYS's Forest Carbon Assessment. Currently helping build public water data infrastructure. PhD in Environmental Science.
#rstats, ML, Boston and spatial data.
Opinions my own. RTs imply causation.
https://mm218.dev
github.com/mikemahoney218
#rstats, ML, Boston and spatial data.
Opinions my own. RTs imply causation.
https://mm218.dev
github.com/mikemahoney218
anyways if you live anywhere it snows you don't need tire research just buy Michelin CrossClimate 2s and thank me later
where do you live that you don't even need 4-season tires, except for when you go into Oklahoma
Every example of ai being useful begins with "okay imagine you're in a situation, and you are very dumb"
January 15, 2026 at 7:02 PM
anyways if you live anywhere it snows you don't need tire research just buy Michelin CrossClimate 2s and thank me later
where do you live that you don't even need 4-season tires, except for when you go into Oklahoma
Every example of ai being useful begins with "okay imagine you're in a situation, and you are very dumb"
January 15, 2026 at 5:57 PM
where do you live that you don't even need 4-season tires, except for when you go into Oklahoma
January 12, 2026 at 9:08 PM
I think ~everyone should have a personal website, but especially if you're a relatively new grad it's a great idea.
There's been multiple people I've Googled recently where the only web presence I can find is their college sports record - a website lets you control your first impression much more!
There's been multiple people I've Googled recently where the only web presence I can find is their college sports record - a website lets you control your first impression much more!
January 6, 2026 at 2:40 PM
I think ~everyone should have a personal website, but especially if you're a relatively new grad it's a great idea.
There's been multiple people I've Googled recently where the only web presence I can find is their college sports record - a website lets you control your first impression much more!
There's been multiple people I've Googled recently where the only web presence I can find is their college sports record - a website lets you control your first impression much more!
fifth level subdomain, the fourth level subdomain 404s, I would LOVE to hear the story of how this URL scheme got decided
If you are a resident of California, the state now has a portal where you can demand deletion of your personal data from 500+ registered data brokers with a single request form, for free.
consumer.drop.privacy.ca.gov
consumer.drop.privacy.ca.gov
consumer.drop.privacy.ca.gov
January 2, 2026 at 3:36 PM
fifth level subdomain, the fourth level subdomain 404s, I would LOVE to hear the story of how this URL scheme got decided
Reposted by Mike Mahoney
i do think LeCun is right here
Ex-Meta chief AI scientist Yann LeCun has Lunch with the FT and in one of those instances so rare that you know he didn't sign an NDA, says exactly why as.ft.com/r/e503690d-8...
January 2, 2026 at 1:45 PM
i do think LeCun is right here
apologies in advance
January 1, 2026 at 6:00 PM
apologies in advance
Reposted by Mike Mahoney
Yet again imagining an alternate universe in which the planet has been bulldozed into a nice neat cube, and timezones have been outlawed. Position is specified as (x,y,z,t). There is no geodetic datum. There is no timezone. There is just love.
January 1, 2026 at 4:06 AM
Yet again imagining an alternate universe in which the planet has been bulldozed into a nice neat cube, and timezones have been outlawed. Position is specified as (x,y,z,t). There is no geodetic datum. There is no timezone. There is just love.
Reposted by Mike Mahoney
The retirement of the MetroCard at midnight tonight is bittersweet for me. In 1983, as a young lawyer, I took a year's leave of absence from my law firm to serve as special counsel to Richard Ravitch, chairman of the NY MTA. He gave me the task of leading a study ...
It's the final day of MetroCard sales—so as we say farewell to an icon, let's take a look at how it all started.
Thank you, MetroCard, for moving New York to the very last swipe.
Thank you, MetroCard, for moving New York to the very last swipe.
January 1, 2026 at 3:33 AM
The retirement of the MetroCard at midnight tonight is bittersweet for me. In 1983, as a young lawyer, I took a year's leave of absence from my law firm to serve as special counsel to Richard Ravitch, chairman of the NY MTA. He gave me the task of leading a study ...
I think my new pedantic hobbyhorse is that "analysis ready data" does not, and should not, mean "any data that's been cleaned"
At least in geosciences (and ESPECIALLY Earth observation), the term has a very specific standard definition! It's not a trivial distinction!
ceos.org/ard/
At least in geosciences (and ESPECIALLY Earth observation), the term has a very specific standard definition! It's not a trivial distinction!
ceos.org/ard/
CEOS Analysis Ready Data
ceos.org
December 31, 2025 at 6:21 PM
I think my new pedantic hobbyhorse is that "analysis ready data" does not, and should not, mean "any data that's been cleaned"
At least in geosciences (and ESPECIALLY Earth observation), the term has a very specific standard definition! It's not a trivial distinction!
ceos.org/ard/
At least in geosciences (and ESPECIALLY Earth observation), the term has a very specific standard definition! It's not a trivial distinction!
ceos.org/ard/
I want everyone who lives near the Northeast Corridor to know I appreciate their Christmas lights, even when passing by on Amtrak at 120mph
December 31, 2025 at 5:35 AM
I want everyone who lives near the Northeast Corridor to know I appreciate their Christmas lights, even when passing by on Amtrak at 120mph
Reposted by Mike Mahoney
The year is 2035. Massachusetts is the only livable state in America, but home prices in the Murdersville neighborhood of Fall River have increased to one William dollars. The legislature passes a law to allow five new homes to be built. They are January 6thed by every senior in the state.
December 29, 2025 at 1:40 AM
The year is 2035. Massachusetts is the only livable state in America, but home prices in the Murdersville neighborhood of Fall River have increased to one William dollars. The legislature passes a law to allow five new homes to be built. They are January 6thed by every senior in the state.
Reposted by Mike Mahoney
Also, recruiting is so tragically bad for everything that isn't the most standard software engineering role ever. Oh my gosh. No ability to weave through and understand how to guard against all the automated spamming. I constantly helped other leaders dissect this and get better candidate pools.
December 27, 2025 at 4:37 PM
Also, recruiting is so tragically bad for everything that isn't the most standard software engineering role ever. Oh my gosh. No ability to weave through and understand how to guard against all the automated spamming. I constantly helped other leaders dissect this and get better candidate pools.
Reposted by Mike Mahoney
I don't know how much it's worth talking about research leadership on this particular site (there is so little tech community here I feel), but this is a perspective I have LONG had (I used to talk about it all the time on twitter). And as a Research VP I witnessed often that junior data folks...
I cannot tell you how many data science teams I've seen operate with people with their heads down constantly spending all their time thinking about some nuance of some technical tool, but completely unable to formulate a real articulate research question. Similar to many software teams in some ways
December 27, 2025 at 4:19 PM
I don't know how much it's worth talking about research leadership on this particular site (there is so little tech community here I feel), but this is a perspective I have LONG had (I used to talk about it all the time on twitter). And as a Research VP I witnessed often that junior data folks...
put a handful of minor #AGU25 thoughts up on the blog
very happy to have seen everyone I saw -- very sorry to miss everyone I missed!!
www.mm218.dev/posts/2025-1...
very happy to have seen everyone I saw -- very sorry to miss everyone I missed!!
www.mm218.dev/posts/2025-1...
Ten short thoughts about AGU25 – Mike Mahoney
Minor dispatches written about 400 feet from Bourbon Street
www.mm218.dev
December 20, 2025 at 3:37 AM
put a handful of minor #AGU25 thoughts up on the blog
very happy to have seen everyone I saw -- very sorry to miss everyone I missed!!
www.mm218.dev/posts/2025-1...
very happy to have seen everyone I saw -- very sorry to miss everyone I missed!!
www.mm218.dev/posts/2025-1...
Reposted by Mike Mahoney
Reposted by Mike Mahoney
Heading out now for #AGU25 🧪!
I should plug my talks, "Introducing the Next Generation of USGS Water Data APIs":
eppro01.ativ.me/appinfo.php?...
Plus "Building the Next Generation of USGS Water Data APIs":
eppro01.ativ.me/appinfo.php?...
Who do I know in New Orleans this week?
I should plug my talks, "Introducing the Next Generation of USGS Water Data APIs":
eppro01.ativ.me/appinfo.php?...
Plus "Building the Next Generation of USGS Water Data APIs":
eppro01.ativ.me/appinfo.php?...
Who do I know in New Orleans this week?
AGU25
eppro01.ativ.me
December 14, 2025 at 3:43 PM
Heading out now for #AGU25 🧪!
I should plug my talks, "Introducing the Next Generation of USGS Water Data APIs":
eppro01.ativ.me/appinfo.php?...
Plus "Building the Next Generation of USGS Water Data APIs":
eppro01.ativ.me/appinfo.php?...
Who do I know in New Orleans this week?
I should plug my talks, "Introducing the Next Generation of USGS Water Data APIs":
eppro01.ativ.me/appinfo.php?...
Plus "Building the Next Generation of USGS Water Data APIs":
eppro01.ativ.me/appinfo.php?...
Who do I know in New Orleans this week?
Heading out now for #AGU25 🧪!
I should plug my talks, "Introducing the Next Generation of USGS Water Data APIs":
eppro01.ativ.me/appinfo.php?...
Plus "Building the Next Generation of USGS Water Data APIs":
eppro01.ativ.me/appinfo.php?...
Who do I know in New Orleans this week?
I should plug my talks, "Introducing the Next Generation of USGS Water Data APIs":
eppro01.ativ.me/appinfo.php?...
Plus "Building the Next Generation of USGS Water Data APIs":
eppro01.ativ.me/appinfo.php?...
Who do I know in New Orleans this week?
AGU25
eppro01.ativ.me
December 14, 2025 at 3:43 PM
Heading out now for #AGU25 🧪!
I should plug my talks, "Introducing the Next Generation of USGS Water Data APIs":
eppro01.ativ.me/appinfo.php?...
Plus "Building the Next Generation of USGS Water Data APIs":
eppro01.ativ.me/appinfo.php?...
Who do I know in New Orleans this week?
I should plug my talks, "Introducing the Next Generation of USGS Water Data APIs":
eppro01.ativ.me/appinfo.php?...
Plus "Building the Next Generation of USGS Water Data APIs":
eppro01.ativ.me/appinfo.php?...
Who do I know in New Orleans this week?
maybe someone who follows me knows the answer to this -- my gut feeling is that network latency would make space based data centers impractical, to say nothing of any other challenges. Are satellite transmissions just way faster than I give them credit for?
December 14, 2025 at 3:37 PM
maybe someone who follows me knows the answer to this -- my gut feeling is that network latency would make space based data centers impractical, to say nothing of any other challenges. Are satellite transmissions just way faster than I give them credit for?
max carry-on sizes should be determined by height
December 13, 2025 at 4:28 AM
max carry-on sizes should be determined by height
as I'm writing my #AGU25 talks I'm reminded of my favorite hobbyhorse: you should not ask for questions after giving a talk!
End by saying "thanks" so people know when to clap. The moderator will let you know if there's any time for questions after! You're just stealing your own applause.
End by saying "thanks" so people know when to clap. The moderator will let you know if there's any time for questions after! You're just stealing your own applause.
December 10, 2025 at 10:16 PM
as I'm writing my #AGU25 talks I'm reminded of my favorite hobbyhorse: you should not ask for questions after giving a talk!
End by saying "thanks" so people know when to clap. The moderator will let you know if there's any time for questions after! You're just stealing your own applause.
End by saying "thanks" so people know when to clap. The moderator will let you know if there's any time for questions after! You're just stealing your own applause.
if I were a better statistician this would be a paper, but: one of the best parts of moving to predictive modeling is completely sidestepping arguments around significance and threshold values
"What was the MAE" and "is that good enough for applications" are much easier to reason about
"What was the MAE" and "is that good enough for applications" are much easier to reason about
December 7, 2025 at 2:26 PM
if I were a better statistician this would be a paper, but: one of the best parts of moving to predictive modeling is completely sidestepping arguments around significance and threshold values
"What was the MAE" and "is that good enough for applications" are much easier to reason about
"What was the MAE" and "is that good enough for applications" are much easier to reason about
Reposted by Mike Mahoney
#30daymapchallenge · Jour 30 · Relooking
🌍 Europe · Europa · Ευρώπη · Європа
🔍 Zoomez pour découvrir les villes d'Europe dans leur langue.
🔽 L'ancienne carte, en commentaire, utilisait un texte de substitution, réalisée pour le #30daymapchallenge 2024.
#cartographie #map #europe #europa
🌍 Europe · Europa · Ευρώπη · Європа
🔍 Zoomez pour découvrir les villes d'Europe dans leur langue.
🔽 L'ancienne carte, en commentaire, utilisait un texte de substitution, réalisée pour le #30daymapchallenge 2024.
#cartographie #map #europe #europa
November 30, 2025 at 3:51 AM
#30daymapchallenge · Jour 30 · Relooking
🌍 Europe · Europa · Ευρώπη · Європа
🔍 Zoomez pour découvrir les villes d'Europe dans leur langue.
🔽 L'ancienne carte, en commentaire, utilisait un texte de substitution, réalisée pour le #30daymapchallenge 2024.
#cartographie #map #europe #europa
🌍 Europe · Europa · Ευρώπη · Європа
🔍 Zoomez pour découvrir les villes d'Europe dans leur langue.
🔽 L'ancienne carte, en commentaire, utilisait un texte de substitution, réalisée pour le #30daymapchallenge 2024.
#cartographie #map #europe #europa
gotta be honest, pretty excited to go back to looking at the Bad Screen tomorrow
November 13, 2025 at 4:15 AM
gotta be honest, pretty excited to go back to looking at the Bad Screen tomorrow