Samuel Workman | Lightnews

Sam Workman @sam-workman.bsky.social · 20h

They also don't understand LLMs. They use the words, structure, and dashes because we do. It's trained on us. Gonna start delving and em-dashing all over the place because being an irritant is an Appalachian tradition.

Chris Geidner @chrisgeidner.bsky.social · 21h

The lunatics who insist that you are giving away that you rely on AI if you use em dashes are going to be shocked to learn that I also must rely on a time machine — given that I overused em dashes since long before the world had ChatGPT or the like.

Chris Geidner @chrisgeidner.bsky.social · 21h

The lunatics who insist that you are giving away that you rely on AI if you use em dashes are going to be shocked to learn that I also must rely on a time machine — given that I overused em dashes since long before the world had ChatGPT or the like.

Sam Workman @sam-workman.bsky.social · 2d

Great coverage of the opening salvos in the West Virginia Legislature this week. Take a look at the West Virginia Weakly. Thanks @gilessnyder.bsky.social , and of course, Clio! WV

Lawmaking is underway

The West Virginia Weakly Reader for Saturday, January 17, 2026

open.substack.com

Sam Workman @sam-workman.bsky.social · 3d

"Amazon, Microsoft and Google opposed the plan, claiming it unfairly singled out data centers." 🔌💡

East coast could see rolling blackouts as data centers strain the electric grid

PJM, which services nearly 70 million Americans, could be forced to trigger blackouts during periods of high demand

www.independent.co.uk

Sam Workman @sam-workman.bsky.social · 7d

Head over to the Appalachian Speakeasy for this week's cocktail and a tale of how indecisiveness and jealousy could cause you to be killed by a rampaging boar. 🐗 🍸🍹 #cocktails #Appalachia

Catching the Boar by the Tusks

Adonis was a man of women and seasons

open.substack.com

Sam Workman @sam-workman.bsky.social · 10d

Reasons were deeply flawed, but TJ was right from the outset. And Marshall doesn't deserve the reverence he's given in legal circles.

Sam Workman @sam-workman.bsky.social · 11d

We've managed to maximize the space defined by adverse selection and moral hazard on both dimensions. Quite the feat.

Sam Workman @sam-workman.bsky.social · 11d

This stress will also be unevenly spread for states struggling to maintain or increase capacity.

The rules and regulations around interconnection are overdue, and should be open to more than just the biggest customers or not narrowly defined for data centers only. 2/2

Sam Workman @sam-workman.bsky.social · 11d

The word "handful" is carrying a lot of water here. With dragging capacity and exponential growth in data center demand, we're likely talking a lot more than a handful of hours where grids will be stressed, especially PJM. 1/2 🔌💡 🏛️

PJM needs flexible data centers. Here’s a blueprint.

The nation's biggest power market has to find a way to prevent data centers from driving up electricity costs. A new report has a solution.

www.canarymedia.com

JEPP Journal @jeppjournal.bsky.social · 11d

👞 Putting oneself in the investors' shoes, Christakis Georgiou analyses how the search for safe assets shaped the development of the monetary union 👇

🔗 doi.org/10.1080/1350...

Sam Workman @sam-workman.bsky.social · 12d

Check it out. Great place.

Kate Starbird @katestarbird.bsky.social · 12d

Postdoctoral positions: Our team at the University of Washington's Center for an Informed Public is accepting applications for up to two postdoc positions, starting in Fall 2026. Priority deadline is Jan 15. If you know someone who might be interested, let them know!

Center for an Informed Public @cip.uw.edu · Dec 16

We're currently accepting applications to hire up to two @cip.uw.edu postdoctoral scholars to join our team in Seattle. The priority deadline to apply is January 15, 2026.

For the position description, salary range, qualifications and application process, click here: apply.interfolio.com/177901

Kate Starbird @katestarbird.bsky.social · 12d

Postdoctoral positions: Our team at the University of Washington's Center for an Informed Public is accepting applications for up to two postdoc positions, starting in Fall 2026. Priority deadline is Jan 15. If you know someone who might be interested, let them know!

Center for an Informed Public @cip.uw.edu · Dec 16

We're currently accepting applications to hire up to two @cip.uw.edu postdoctoral scholars to join our team in Seattle. The priority deadline to apply is January 15, 2026.

For the position description, salary range, qualifications and application process, click here: apply.interfolio.com/177901

Apply - Interfolio {{$ctrl.$state.data.pageTitle}} - Apply - Interfolio

apply.interfolio.com

Sam Workman @sam-workman.bsky.social · 14d

💯 Any theory of making government work as it ought has to have a theory of implementation that is more than "dole money unfettered to states and localities."

Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 14d

If your concern is about fraud, and making sure the poorest receive funds, block grants are the opposite of what we should do. They allow states to redirect the money away from the neediest.
OTOH, there is very persuasive evidence that SNAP really helps people.
academic.oup.com/restud/artic...

We use novel, large-scale data on 17.5 million Americans to study how a policy-driven increase in economic resources affects children's long-term outcomes. Using the 2000 Census and 2001–13 American Community Survey linked to the Social Security Administration's NUMIDENT, we leverage the county-level rollout of the Food Stamps program between 1961 and 1975. We find that children with access to greater economic resources before age five have better outcomes as adults. The treatment-on-the-treated effects show a 6% of a standard deviation improvement in human capital, 3% of a standard deviation increase in economic self-sufficiency, 8% of a standard deviation increase in the quality of neighbourhood of residence, a 1.2-year increase in life expectancy, and a 0.5 percentage-point decrease in likelihood of being incarcerated. These estimates suggest that Food Stamps’ transfer of resources to families is a highly cost-effective investment in young children, yielding a marginal value of public funds of approximately sixty-two.

Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 14d

If your concern is about fraud, and making sure the poorest receive funds, block grants are the opposite of what we should do. They allow states to redirect the money away from the neediest.
OTOH, there is very persuasive evidence that SNAP really helps people.
academic.oup.com/restud/artic...

Sam Workman @sam-workman.bsky.social · 14d

Head over to the Appalachian Speakeasy this week for a tale of possums, persimmons, and doing things at the right time. Time to tip one.

Of Possums and Persimmons

The cute, hairy face of Appalachia

open.substack.com

Sam Workman @sam-workman.bsky.social · 18d

The Appalachian Speakeasy has you covered for NY's Eve. Leave your inhibitions at the door. Time for a special New Year's Eve Cocktail and a conversation about Prohibition and what prime directives should, and should not, do. Also, happy anniversary Mrs. W. 🍸🍹 #cocktails WV #appalachia

Between the Sheets on New Year's Eve

Huddle for warmth my friends

open.substack.com

Sam Workman @sam-workman.bsky.social · 19d

Or five!

Sam Workman @sam-workman.bsky.social · 19d

The newest map of data centers, real and planned (imagined?), and transmission from the NREL (now National Lab of the Rockies). 🔌💡 🏛️ 📊📈

National Lab of the Rockies map of data centers transmission, and planned data centers.

Sam Workman @sam-workman.bsky.social · 19d

There is a very tangible cost to being purveyors of experiences rather than knowledge and analytical thinking. AI, polarization, and corporate organization does indeed render grades useless. #highered

The Entry-Level Hiring Process Is Breaking Down

Grade inflation and the rise of AI are making it impossible for employers to evaluate recent graduates.

www.theatlantic.com

Sam Workman @sam-workman.bsky.social · 19d

This, but for all of them - they sell themselves on the complex stuff they don't do well and forget to sell themselves on the simpler things they would do well. Their marketing model should be MS Office, not iphones.

Andrew Heiss @andrew.heiss.phd · 19d

every YouTube video I find on claude code is like “Here’s how to make $10 billion in a month with NO PROGRAMMING KNOWLEDGE!!!1!” instead of “here’s how normal people use this with normal smaller data science-related normal projects”

Andrew Heiss @andrew.heiss.phd · 19d

looking for a good overview/tutorial (text or video) on MCPs and code agents for #rstats / Positron (and maybe Claude Code) so I can see how that world is shaping up—any good ones out there?

Andrew Heiss @andrew.heiss.phd · 19d

every YouTube video I find on claude code is like “Here’s how to make $10 billion in a month with NO PROGRAMMING KNOWLEDGE!!!1!” instead of “here’s how normal people use this with normal smaller data science-related normal projects”

Andrew Heiss @andrew.heiss.phd · 19d

looking for a good overview/tutorial (text or video) on MCPs and code agents for #rstats / Positron (and maybe Claude Code) so I can see how that world is shaping up—any good ones out there?

Sam Workman @sam-workman.bsky.social · 20d

Take a look folks. People are saying @3streamsblog.bsky.social went BIGLY this year! 😎 🏛️ #polisky

Heath Brown @heathbrown.bsky.social · 20d

So many big stories @3streamsblog.bsky.social in 2025 cc @billresh.bsky.social @sam-workman.bsky.social @cmwitko.bsky.social: one of the biggest was @jandrewsinclair.bsky.social on historical precedents for Mayor Mamdani medium.com/3streams/zoh...

Zohran Mamdani and the Other “Boy Mayor”

What today’s mayor-elect can learn from the ghosts of New York City government

medium.com

Heath Brown @heathbrown.bsky.social · 20d

So many big stories @3streamsblog.bsky.social in 2025 cc @billresh.bsky.social @sam-workman.bsky.social @cmwitko.bsky.social: one of the biggest was @jandrewsinclair.bsky.social on historical precedents for Mayor Mamdani medium.com/3streams/zoh...

Zohran Mamdani and the Other “Boy Mayor”

What today’s mayor-elect can learn from the ghosts of New York City government

medium.com

Sam Workman @sam-workman.bsky.social · 20d

Important PSA. USPS 📨

Abbi Lichtenstein @abbij1961.bsky.social · 20d

As of 12/24/25, USPS changed policy on when they postmark mail. Mail dropped off is no longer guaranteed a same-day postmark. Tax returns & other time-sensitive items are now stamped when they reach a regional processing center, which may be days later. Plan deadlines accordingly to avoid penalties.

USPS Announces Changes to the Postmark Date System

The United States Postal Service (USPS) has adopted a final rule (FR Doc.

share.google

Abbi Lichtenstein @abbij1961.bsky.social · 20d

As of 12/24/25, USPS changed policy on when they postmark mail. Mail dropped off is no longer guaranteed a same-day postmark. Tax returns & other time-sensitive items are now stamped when they reach a regional processing center, which may be days later. Plan deadlines accordingly to avoid penalties.

USPS Announces Changes to the Postmark Date System

The United States Postal Service (USPS) has adopted a final rule (FR Doc.

share.google

Sam Workman @sam-workman.bsky.social · 21d

The closures bit is the important part, and it's just as true of the east as the west - policy. 💡🔌 🏛️

"The increase is being driven by higher natural gas prices and slower-than-expected closures of coal-fired plants, according to the IEA report."

U.S. Breaks 15-Year Run Of Coal Declines With Increased Demand

The International Energy Agency reports global coal demand is expected to hit a new record high in 2025. In the U.S. and Wyoming, it’s expected to…

cowboystatedaily.com

Sam Workman @sam-workman.bsky.social · 21d

🤦

Sam Workman @sam-workman.bsky.social · 21d

How do we shape siting in a way that benefits the communities where data centers will be sited, how do we think creatively about the possibilities of economies that arise around or adjacent to these installations, and how do we mitigate health and environmental risks (or begin to understand these).

Sam Workman @sam-workman.bsky.social · 21d

Good geospatial analysis by @pewresearch.org this year on the siting of data centers. It's not likely that we are setting our phones, computers, and other systems aside anytime soon. As a professor, ask me how I know. 1/2 💡🔌 🏛️ #WestVirginia
#rural

Map of the U.S. displaying the locations of data centers and siting.

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