Alan Norton 👨‍💻∉ ℚ
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nonration.al
Alan Norton 👨‍💻∉ ℚ
@nonration.al
130 followers 340 following 16 posts
I write software, run teams that write software, and talk to people about how to make better decisions, usually in relation to writing software.
Posts Replies Media Videos
Reposted by Alan Norton 👨‍💻∉ ℚ
barackobama.bsky.social
Congratulations to all the Democratic candidates who won tonight. It’s a reminder that when we come together around strong, forward-looking leaders who care about the issues that matter, we can win. We’ve still got plenty of work to do, but the future looks a little bit brighter.
November 5, 2025 at 2:47 AM
Reposted by Alan Norton 👨‍💻∉ ℚ
zohrankmamdani.bsky.social
Today is only the beginning.

Our time has come, New York. Our time is now.
Today is only the beginning.
YouTube video by Zohran Mamdani for NYC
www.youtube.com
November 4, 2025 at 1:18 PM
Reposted by Alan Norton 👨‍💻∉ ℚ
weratedogs.com
This is Annie. She freaking loves fall. 13/10 (FB: James Osborne)
a small brown dog leaps up from behind a pile of crunchy brown leaves. her eyes and mouth are open wide, and her big floppy ears are extended out like wings to either side.
September 22, 2025 at 2:55 PM
Reposted by Alan Norton 👨‍💻∉ ℚ
mjsdc.bsky.social
Check out Justice Eddins’ complete repudiation of the Roberts Court here. It’s worth reading in full. It’s quite brave—and exceedingly rare—for a sitting judge to speak so candidly and scathingly about SCOTUS’ partisan contortions of law, history, and fact.
www.courts.state.hi.us/wp-content/u...
The Supreme Court devalues democracy. Thirty-seven state constitutions block public funds from supporting religious entities. Richard Schragger, Micah Schwartzman & Nelson Tebbe, Reestablishing Religion, 92 U. Chi. L. Rev. 199, 211 (2025) . The Court aims to federally-repeal these state constitutional provisions. The Court's beliefs meddle with local and state governments. Forcing states to send public funds to religious entities federalizes public policy. By unprincipled fiat. See also New York State Rifle & Pistol Ass'n, Inc. v. Bruen, 597 U.S. 1 (2022) (zero to superpower). Taxpayer funds now flow to religious institutions. So, the government collects money from nonbelievers (under the threat of jail), and uses some of it to support religion. And since not all religions will receive public funds, the government forces minority faiths to support other faiths, or else. The Court twists text, history, purpose, precedent, and public meaning to offend the First Amendment's character-of- government structure and the Constitution's separate sovereignty structure. As it steamrolls both, the Court says nothing about church- state separation and federalism principles. The Court's nevermind stance to the structural features of the Constitution "has unfolded with little engagement with, and occasional
September 20, 2025 at 3:35 PM
Reposted by Alan Norton 👨‍💻∉ ℚ
jayvanbavel.bsky.social
Extreme views are heavily over-represented on social media

Social platforms’ tendency to reward hostile content creates incentives that systematically reward simplistic messages and extreme positions and this fuels populism www.ft.com/content/9251... via @jburnmurdoch.ft.com
September 8, 2025 at 10:02 PM
Reposted by Alan Norton 👨‍💻∉ ℚ
ed3d.net
it is a stochastic intern and that abstraction works well enough for me to interact with it without going nuts
segyges.bsky.social SE Gyges @segyges.bsky.social · Sep 3
current theory: LLMs exist in a cognitive uncanny valley. we are incapable of seeing them as anything other than weird humans. they get ranked up/down in our esteem the way a human would be. that they are a totally different thing, with totally different problems, is impossible to integrate
segyges.bsky.social SE Gyges @segyges.bsky.social · Sep 3
and this seems like a legitimate cognitive problem. somehow the exact niche in the cognitive uncanny valley they fall into is just impossible for us to process. nothing else has ever existed that looks anything like this before! it's a person. it's an oracle of truth? maybe it's a book. hmmm
September 3, 2025 at 10:43 PM
Reposted by Alan Norton 👨‍💻∉ ℚ
donmoyn.bsky.social
Full resignation letter from Demetre C. Daskalakis, a CDC leader, does not hold back.
"The recent shooting at CDC is not why I am resigning. My grandfather, who I am named after, stood up to fascist forces in Greece and lost his life doing so. I am resigning to make him and his legacy proud."
My resignation letter from CDC. Dear Dr. Houry, I am writing to formally resign from my position as Director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), effective August 28, 2025, close of business. I am happy to stay on for two weeks to provide transition, if requested. This decision has not come easily, as I deeply value the work that the CDC does in safeguarding public health and am proud of my contributions to that critical mission. However, after much contemplation and reflection on recent developments and perspectives brought to light by Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., I find that the views he and his staff have shared challenge my ability to continue in my current role at the agency and in the service of the health of the American people. Enough is enough. While I hold immense respect for the institution and my colleagues, I believe that it is imperative to align my professional responsibilities to my system of ethics and my understanding of the science of infectious disease, immunology, and my promise to serve the American people. This step is necessary to ensure that I can contribute effectively in a capacity that allows me to remain true to my principles. The recent change in the adult and children’s immunization schedule threaten the lives of the youngest Americans and pregnant people. The data analyses that supported this decision have never been shared with CDC despite my respectful requests to HHS and other leadership. This lack of meaningful engagement was further compounded by a “frequently asked questions” document written to support the Secretary’s directive that was circulated by HHS without input from CDC subject matter experts and that cited studies that did not support the conclusions that were attributed to these authors. Having worked in local and national public health for years, I have never experienced such radical non-transparency, nor have I seen such unskilled manipulation of data to achieve a political end rather than the good of the American people. It is untenable to serve in an organization that is not afforded the opportunity to discuss decisions of scientific and public health importance released under the moniker of CDC. The lack of communication by HHS and other CDC political leadership that culminates in social media posts announcing major policy changes without prior notice demonstrate a disregard of normal communication channels and common sense. Having to retrofit analyses and policy actions to match inadequately thought-out announcements in poorly scripted videos or page long X posts should not be how organizations responsible for the health of people should function. Some examples include the announcement of the change in the COVID-19 recommendations for children and pregnant people, the firing of scientists from ACIP by X post and an op-ed rather than direct communication with these valuable experts, the announcement of new ACIP members by X before onboarding and vetting have completed, and the release of term of reference for an ACIP workgroup that ignored all feedback from career staff at CDC. Their desire to please a political base will result in death and disability of vulnerable children and adults. Their base should be the people they serve not a political voting bloc. I have always been first to challenge scientific and public health dogma in my career and was excited by the opportunity to do so again. I was optimistic that there would be an opportunity to brief the Secretary about key topics such as measles, avian influenza, and the highly coordinated approach to the respiratory virus season. Such briefings would allow exchange of ideas and a shared path to support the vision of “Making America Healthy Again.” We are seven months into the new administration, and no CDC subject matter expert from my Center has ever briefed the Secretary. I am not sure who the Secretary is listening to, but it is quite certainly not to us. Unvetted and conflicted outside organizations seem to be the sources HHS use over the gold standard science of CDC and other reputable sources. At a hearing, Secretary Kennedy said that Americans should not take medical advice from him. To the contrary, an appropriately briefed and inquisitive Secretary should be a source of health information for the people he serves. As it stands now, I must agree with him, that he should not be considered a source of accurate information. The intentional eroding of trust in low-risk vaccines favoring natural infection and unproven remedies will bring us to a pre-vaccine era where only the strong will survive and many if not all will suffer. I believe in nutrition and exercise. I believe in making our food supply healthier, and I also believe in using vaccines to prevent death and disability. Eugenics plays prominently in the rhetoric being generated and is derivative of a legacy that good medicine and science should continue to shun. The recent shooting at CDC is not why I am resigning. My grandfather, who I am named after, stood up to fascist forces in Greece and lost his life doing so. I am resigning to make him and his legacy proud. I am resigning because of the cowardice of a leader that cannot admit that HIS and his minions’ words over decades created an environment where violence like this can occur. I reject his and his colleagues’ thoughts and prayers, and advise they direct those to people that they have not actively harmed. For decades, I have been a trusted voice for the LGBTQ community when it comes to critical health topics. I must also cite the recklessness of the administration in their efforts to erase transgender populations, cease critical domestic and international HIV programming, and terminate key research to support equity as part of my decision. Public health is not merely about the health of the individual, but it is about the health of the community, the nation, the world. The nation’s health security is at risk and is in the hands of people focusing on ideological self-interest. I want to express my heartfelt gratitude for the opportunities for growth, learning, and collaboration that I have been afforded during my time at the CDC. It has been a privilege to work alongside such dedicated professionals who are committed to improving the health and well-being of communities across the nation even when under attack from within both physically and psychologically. Thank you once again for the support and guidance I have received from you and previous CDC leadership throughout my tenure. I wish the CDC continued success in its vital mission and that HHS reverse its dangerous course to dismantle public health as a practice and as an institution. If they continue the current path, they risk our personal well-being and the security of the United States.
August 28, 2025 at 1:01 AM
Reposted by Alan Norton 👨‍💻∉ ℚ
dantethek9.bsky.social
Well, I'll be damned.

It's royalty free and there's already six, generic manufacturers lined up.

newatlas.com/infectious-d...
The first 100% effective HIV prevention drug is approved and going global
An epidemic that's been sustained for 44 years might finally be quelled, with the milestone approval of the first HIV drug that offers 100% protection with its twice-yearly injections. It's a landmark...
newatlas.com
July 27, 2025 at 10:39 PM
Reposted by Alan Norton 👨‍💻∉ ℚ
publichealthguy1.bsky.social
"I'm devastated," said Joslin, who is trans and uses they/them pronouns. "We don't take our positions in the park service to make money or to have any kind of huge career gains. We take it because we love the places that we work. I have a Ph.D. in bioinformatics, and I could be making a lot more money in Silicon Valley, which is only a few hours away, but I made career choices to position myself in Yosemite National Park, because this is the place that I love the most."
August 18, 2025 at 10:13 PM
Reposted by Alan Norton 👨‍💻∉ ℚ
socialmedialab.ca
A Texas researcher is facing deportation after being held for over a week by immigration authorities at San Francisco Intl. Airport. Returning from an overseas trip, he was detained upon arrival, forced to sleep in a chair, and survived on airport food during the ordeal. apnews.com/article/texa...
Texas researcher faces deportation after being held for week at San Francisco airport
A legal permanent resident with a green card who flew back to the U.S. after visiting family in South Korea was detained by immigration authorities and held for more than a week at the San Francisco I...
apnews.com
August 3, 2025 at 12:08 PM
Reposted by Alan Norton 👨‍💻∉ ℚ
glassbottommeg.bsky.social
Holy shit. This guy saved a PNG to a bird.

(he drew a bird into a spectrogram, played that sound to a starling, and the starling reproduced it back to him with enough accuracy he got his bird drawing back in their call's spectrogram) www.youtube.com/watch?v=hCQC...
I Saved a PNG Image To A Bird
YouTube video by Benn Jordan
www.youtube.com
July 28, 2025 at 3:29 PM
Reposted by Alan Norton 👨‍💻∉ ℚ
strandjunker.com
The fact that the President of the United States posts a fake video of a kneeling Barack Obama being handcuffed and we’re supposed to pretend it’s perfectly normal, everyday stuff shows exactly what is terribly wrong with today’s political mainstream media.
July 21, 2025 at 4:25 PM
Reposted by Alan Norton 👨‍💻∉ ℚ
retr0.id
writing new black mirror episodes must be pretty tough these days
July 14, 2025 at 10:14 PM
Reposted by Alan Norton 👨‍💻∉ ℚ
greatdismal.bsky.social
I imagined the Chatsubo in 1984. 41 years later I opened its door. Neuromancer is in production.
July 1, 2025 at 7:14 PM
Reposted by Alan Norton 👨‍💻∉ ℚ
lolennui.bsky.social
nyt op-ed: we cannot normalize the left’s brazen attempt to win voters by talking to them
June 25, 2025 at 9:18 PM
Reposted by Alan Norton 👨‍💻∉ ℚ
astra.bsky.social
Thank you for modeling a different approach to politics. Solidarity for the win!
bradlander.bsky.social Brad Lander @bradlander.bsky.social · Jun 25
Hope and solidarity won tonight, and will win again in November.

Congratulations, @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social
June 25, 2025 at 3:51 AM
Reposted by Alan Norton 👨‍💻∉ ℚ
mmasnick.bsky.social
I've said it before, I'll say it again: pitch it as increasing SCOTUS to at least 100 Justices, with randomly selected pools of 9 to hear each case, such that no single Justice matters so much.
wweldon.bsky.social Will W @wweldon.bsky.social · Jun 23
There should be an earnest call to pack the courts by Dem leadership. It should be a thought out campaign to explain to the American people why it’s necessary.
radleybalko.bsky.social Radley Balko @radleybalko.bsky.social · Jun 23
It's becoming increasingly clear is that the right wing of this Supreme Court is extreme even among federal courts. The district courts and appellate courts keep appropriately halting this shit, expressing appropriate outrage, and trying to hold the line. Then SCOTUS blows it all up.
June 24, 2025 at 2:33 AM
Reposted by Alan Norton 👨‍💻∉ ℚ
southernequality.bsky.social
Happy Juneteenth! On this day in 1865, enslaved people in Galveston, TX, finally learned of their freedom, two years after the Emancipation Proclamation. Today, we celebrate Black freedom, and reflect on our understanding that queer liberation is deeply tied to Black liberation.
June 19, 2025 at 4:02 PM
Reposted by Alan Norton 👨‍💻∉ ℚ
emceebois.bsky.social
CLARIFICATION :

The Trevor Project's hotline will still be live. But basically this means LGBTQ people can no longer be connected to it through the US national 988 suicide prevention hotline.

They will need to be contacted DIRECTLY

So spread this around

They can be texted. They can be called.
A screenshot of a website laid out in a two-by-two grid: Top-left, a line-drawing image of a cartoon woman with braided hair looking at text messages on her smartphone with a smile. Top-right, "Text us from anywhere, anytime. Standard text messaging rates may apply." "Text 'START' to 678-678" button, "What to expect +" link. Bottom-left, "Reach out to hear a live voice on the line." "Call us at 1-866-488-7386" button. "What to expect +" link. Bottom-right, side-by-side line-drawing images of two cartoon people. On the left, a cartoon woman is holding her phone to her ear and looking up at the night sky. On the right, a cartoon phone agent is sitting in front of a laptop with a headset on in front of a bright, sunny sky.
June 18, 2025 at 5:48 PM
Reposted by Alan Norton 👨‍💻∉ ℚ
vxundergroundre.bsky.social
June 7, 2025 at 5:17 AM
Reposted by Alan Norton 👨‍💻∉ ℚ
sturdyalex.bsky.social
A three-year-old brought me a bit of black paper. "Look", she said, "I found a piece of night!"

We're all born poets, but slowly we forget.
May 31, 2025 at 2:50 PM
Reposted by Alan Norton 👨‍💻∉ ℚ
thetnholler.bsky.social
“No! Mis hijos estan en La escuela! (My kids are in school!) Por favor!”

Tennessee’s @davidwontshutup.bsky.social on a very difficult video to watch of ICE grabbing a mother outside immigration court in Texas.
May 31, 2025 at 2:39 AM
Reposted by Alan Norton 👨‍💻∉ ℚ
whstancil.bsky.social
insane moment in world history right here
May 14, 2025 at 10:27 PM