Sam Workman
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sam-workman.bsky.social
Sam Workman
@sam-workman.bsky.social

🍸cocktails πŸ“œ policy πŸ“Š data

πŸ“Morgantown, West Virginia, Appalachia

🌎 https://www.linkedin.com/in/samuel-workman
🌎 https://samuelworkman.owlstown.net
🌏 https://open.substack.com/pub/samuelworkman

Environmental science 41%
Political science 15%
Pinned
This week at the Appalachian Speakeasy - mountains, dogs, brandy, and naturally, legislatures. Here's to St Bernards and barrels of brandy. #cocktails #Appalachia
Snowcap
When you are buried in the avalanche
open.substack.com

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.
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 β€” given that I overused em dashes since long before the world had ChatGPT or the like.

Reposted by Samuel Workman

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 β€” given that I overused em dashes since long before the world had ChatGPT or the like.

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

"Amazon, Microsoft and Google opposed the plan, claiming it unfairly singled out data centers." πŸ”ŒπŸ’‘
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

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. πŸ— 🍸🍹 #cocktails #Appalachia
Catching the Boar by the Tusks
Adonis was a man of women and seasons
open.substack.com

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

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

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

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 πŸ”ŒπŸ’‘ πŸ›οΈ
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
πŸ‘ž Putting oneself in the investors' shoes, Christakis Georgiou analyses how the search for safe assets shaped the development of the monetary union πŸ‘‡

πŸ”— doi.org/10.1080/1350...

Check it out. Great place.
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!
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
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!
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

πŸ’― 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."
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...
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...

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

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

Or five!

The newest map of data centers, real and planned (imagined?), and transmission from the NREL (now National Lab of the Rockies). πŸ”ŒπŸ’‘ πŸ›οΈ πŸ“ŠπŸ“ˆ

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

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.
every YouTube video I find on claude code is like β€œHere’s how to make $10 billion in a month with NO PROGRAMMING KNOWLEDGE!!!1!” instead of β€œhere’s how normal people use this with normal smaller data science-related normal projects”
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 upβ€”any good ones out there?

Reposted by Samuel Workman

every YouTube video I find on claude code is like β€œHere’s how to make $10 billion in a month with NO PROGRAMMING KNOWLEDGE!!!1!” instead of β€œhere’s how normal people use this with normal smaller data science-related normal projects”
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 upβ€”any good ones out there?

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

Reposted by Samuel Workman

Reposted by Anna O. Law

Important PSA. USPS πŸ“¨
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
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

The closures bit is the important part, and it's just as true of the east as the west - policy. πŸ’‘πŸ”Œ πŸ›οΈ

"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

🀦
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).
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 πŸ’‘πŸ”Œ πŸ›οΈ #WestVirginia
#rural