Peter Finin
@nobeardpete.bsky.social
You can't spell tuberculology without LOL.
Interested in mycobacterial electron transport chain and energy metabolism. Also, improving genetic techniques in mycobacteriology.
Interested in mycobacterial electron transport chain and energy metabolism. Also, improving genetic techniques in mycobacteriology.
A lot of times the explanation is crippling depression.
December 10, 2025 at 6:36 PM
A lot of times the explanation is crippling depression.
it may put them in a position that further incentivizes even crazier behavior as we approach the midterms.
November 6, 2025 at 12:34 PM
it may put them in a position that further incentivizes even crazier behavior as we approach the midterms.
TL;DR - The political headwinds make gerrymandering more complicated for Republicans. For those of us who'd like to see the backside of the current crop of MAGA GOP, this may seem appealing. But if they misjudge, which they are currently structurally inclined to do,
November 6, 2025 at 12:34 PM
TL;DR - The political headwinds make gerrymandering more complicated for Republicans. For those of us who'd like to see the backside of the current crop of MAGA GOP, this may seem appealing. But if they misjudge, which they are currently structurally inclined to do,
Unfortunately, I think this increased uncertainty may translate into increasingly erratic and desperate actions from a variety of actors as we approach the midterms.
November 6, 2025 at 12:34 PM
Unfortunately, I think this increased uncertainty may translate into increasingly erratic and desperate actions from a variety of actors as we approach the midterms.
who surrounds himself with yes-men, who often demands that his subordinates take a maximalist position even when it is risky or outright self-defeating, though, there is a ton of room for disaster and there's a lot more uncertainty about the range of electrical outcomes.
November 6, 2025 at 12:34 PM
who surrounds himself with yes-men, who often demands that his subordinates take a maximalist position even when it is risky or outright self-defeating, though, there is a ton of room for disaster and there's a lot more uncertainty about the range of electrical outcomes.
In a situation where you are good at weighing lots of complicated information, and rationally assessing the risks and tradeoffs, this is already hard. In a situation where everything is being directed by a relatively unintelligent and senile leader with little willingness to consider details,
November 6, 2025 at 12:34 PM
In a situation where you are good at weighing lots of complicated information, and rationally assessing the risks and tradeoffs, this is already hard. In a situation where everything is being directed by a relatively unintelligent and senile leader with little willingness to consider details,
If there's a realistic product of a big electrical swing against you, this complicates the gerrymandering calculations a lot. If you dig too greedily and too deep, you risk a political catastrophe. So you have to balance the potential gain against an acceptable amount of risk.
November 6, 2025 at 12:34 PM
If there's a realistic product of a big electrical swing against you, this complicates the gerrymandering calculations a lot. If you dig too greedily and too deep, you risk a political catastrophe. So you have to balance the potential gain against an acceptable amount of risk.
So there is a risk that if you misjudge, perhaps because there's a big swing in public opinion, you actually set yourself up for an electoral blowout, and lose far more seats than you would have with more naturally drawn districts.
November 6, 2025 at 12:34 PM
So there is a risk that if you misjudge, perhaps because there's a big swing in public opinion, you actually set yourself up for an electoral blowout, and lose far more seats than you would have with more naturally drawn districts.
Gerrymandering really only works when you can predict voting reasonably well. The whole premise is that you arrange to win as many seats as possible by as small a margin as possible.
November 6, 2025 at 12:34 PM
Gerrymandering really only works when you can predict voting reasonably well. The whole premise is that you arrange to win as many seats as possible by as small a margin as possible.
you try to arrange that every district has the same breakdown and you take 100% of the seats.
November 6, 2025 at 12:34 PM
you try to arrange that every district has the same breakdown and you take 100% of the seats.
If you're expecting a majority of the votes in the state, the goal is to evenly distribute the vote mix over all the districts, even if they naturally tend to be geographically clumped up. So if you're expecting the votes to go 55% - 45% statewide,
November 6, 2025 at 12:34 PM
If you're expecting a majority of the votes in the state, the goal is to evenly distribute the vote mix over all the districts, even if they naturally tend to be geographically clumped up. So if you're expecting the votes to go 55% - 45% statewide,
This makes your opponent waste a bunch of votes and lets you plan a bunch of districts where you'll get 50% + a little bit. So you get more seats with fewer wasted votes, and get get a majority of the seats with a minority of the votes.
November 6, 2025 at 12:34 PM
This makes your opponent waste a bunch of votes and lets you plan a bunch of districts where you'll get 50% + a little bit. So you get more seats with fewer wasted votes, and get get a majority of the seats with a minority of the votes.
The general idea in gerrymandering is that any vote for your side in excess of 50.1% is wasted. If your side is actually going to get a minority of votes, you want to pack as many votes against you into one (or a few) district where you'll lose in a massive blowout.
November 6, 2025 at 12:34 PM
The general idea in gerrymandering is that any vote for your side in excess of 50.1% is wasted. If your side is actually going to get a minority of votes, you want to pack as many votes against you into one (or a few) district where you'll lose in a massive blowout.
Any specific plans for when you'll make Protein Hunter publicly available?
October 13, 2025 at 6:06 PM
Any specific plans for when you'll make Protein Hunter publicly available?
This looks really cool! I'm just a simple wet-lab scientist, but I've been using some in silico designed binders to support my research. There are a few targets that BindCraft hasn't been able to generate a binder against, and which I'd like to try Protein Hunter.
October 13, 2025 at 6:06 PM
This looks really cool! I'm just a simple wet-lab scientist, but I've been using some in silico designed binders to support my research. There are a few targets that BindCraft hasn't been able to generate a binder against, and which I'd like to try Protein Hunter.
Orban came back into power fifteen years ago, at which time he was about thirty years younger than Trump is now. All other questions aside, simple actuarial tables suggest that Trump does not have that much time left.
October 12, 2025 at 6:39 PM
Orban came back into power fifteen years ago, at which time he was about thirty years younger than Trump is now. All other questions aside, simple actuarial tables suggest that Trump does not have that much time left.
An MIT surveyor came upon the gates of hell. He looked the Devil in the eye and said, "You're looking well." The Devil looked right back at him and said, "Why visit me? You've been to hell already' cause you went to MIT."
October 10, 2025 at 2:46 PM
An MIT surveyor came upon the gates of hell. He looked the Devil in the eye and said, "You're looking well." The Devil looked right back at him and said, "Why visit me? You've been to hell already' cause you went to MIT."
Data so good you don't even need to look at the p value.
August 6, 2025 at 3:57 PM
Data so good you don't even need to look at the p value.
I listen to podcasts almost entirely in the car, which turns out to be for a much larger portion of my week than I would like. How the hell am I supposed to watch video clips while I'm stuck in traffic?
August 4, 2025 at 6:36 PM
I listen to podcasts almost entirely in the car, which turns out to be for a much larger portion of my week than I would like. How the hell am I supposed to watch video clips while I'm stuck in traffic?
Most physicians are pretty conservative in temperament, if not always in politics. But the overwhelmingly response that I saw in discussions amongst doctors was something along the lines of, "That probably isn't the best way of going about it, but..."
July 29, 2025 at 1:21 PM
Most physicians are pretty conservative in temperament, if not always in politics. But the overwhelmingly response that I saw in discussions amongst doctors was something along the lines of, "That probably isn't the best way of going about it, but..."
And in any event, TB isn't ever going to be treated with typical therapy, so that's moot.
July 22, 2025 at 11:27 PM
And in any event, TB isn't ever going to be treated with typical therapy, so that's moot.
It's hard for me to imagine that there is any possibility of hygromycin B being repurposed as a treatment for any systemic disease. I guess it's not completely out of the question that it might see use for topical therapy or something, but even that seems quite unlikely.
July 22, 2025 at 11:27 PM
It's hard for me to imagine that there is any possibility of hygromycin B being repurposed as a treatment for any systemic disease. I guess it's not completely out of the question that it might see use for topical therapy or something, but even that seems quite unlikely.
Hygromycin B is also used as a selection stem with mammalian cell lines, because it is also toxic enough to mammalian cells to reliably kill all of the ones that don't carry a resistance cassette.
July 22, 2025 at 11:27 PM
Hygromycin B is also used as a selection stem with mammalian cell lines, because it is also toxic enough to mammalian cells to reliably kill all of the ones that don't carry a resistance cassette.
One of the most widely used selection systems in tuberculosis research is hygromycin B. Only the TB cells with the desired genetic change will carry the hygromycin resistance cassette and be able to grow in the presence of hygromycin.
July 22, 2025 at 11:27 PM
One of the most widely used selection systems in tuberculosis research is hygromycin B. Only the TB cells with the desired genetic change will carry the hygromycin resistance cassette and be able to grow in the presence of hygromycin.