Paul Allen 🌐🇨🇦
@paulallen.ca
Clinical director of intensive mental health services for children and youth in Canada (ret.). Believer in Truth and Reconciliation. Denier of Denialism. Student of semantics and statistics. "AI" too.
Reposted by Paul Allen 🌐🇨🇦
The economist of despair and hope. www.socialsciencespace.com/2024/12/thom...
Thomas Piketty's New Book Argues Inequality Isn't Natural At All - Social Science Space
Thomas Piketty’s Nature, Culture, and Inequality is a little book that addresses an issue of great significance: is the social inequality we […]
www.socialsciencespace.com
December 8, 2025 at 1:05 PM
The economist of despair and hope. www.socialsciencespace.com/2024/12/thom...
Federal judge rules Canada must provide First Nations with water to drink.
#gift
www.theglobeandmail.com/gift/86d984a...
#gift
www.theglobeandmail.com/gift/86d984a...
Ottawa duty-bound to provide safe drinking water to First Nations, federal judge rules
Shamattawa First Nation in Manitoba faced ‘near constant’ drinking-water advisory since December, 2018
www.theglobeandmail.com
December 8, 2025 at 1:12 PM
Federal judge rules Canada must provide First Nations with water to drink.
#gift
www.theglobeandmail.com/gift/86d984a...
#gift
www.theglobeandmail.com/gift/86d984a...
Reposted by Paul Allen 🌐🇨🇦
Anne Applebaum: The baroque corruption schemes playing out in America and Russia completely outclass the kickback scandal in Ukraine. www.theatlantic.com/internationa...
Trumpian Corruption Is Worse Than Ukrainian Corruption
The people of Ukraine want an honest government, even as American and Russian kleptocrats circle their country.
www.theatlantic.com
December 7, 2025 at 8:01 PM
Anne Applebaum: The baroque corruption schemes playing out in America and Russia completely outclass the kickback scandal in Ukraine. www.theatlantic.com/internationa...
Reposted by Paul Allen 🌐🇨🇦
This is, indeed, quite remarkable and well worth a read if you're curious about the (many! varied!) movements to create neo-libertarian for-profit utopias
I would say this because I edited it but @mshannahmurphy.bsky.social's piece on tech bros founding their own for-profit cities really is unmissable reading www.ft.com/content/b127...
Tech elites are starting their own for-profit cities
They want to escape from regulation and ‘failing’ democracy — but are they more opportunistic than libertarian?
www.ft.com
December 7, 2025 at 1:36 PM
This is, indeed, quite remarkable and well worth a read if you're curious about the (many! varied!) movements to create neo-libertarian for-profit utopias
Reposted by Paul Allen 🌐🇨🇦
We published our AI policy yesterday. It affirms our commitment to human-made writing, photography and illustrations. #journalism #localnews You can read more here: thetyee.ca/Tyeenews/202...
The Tyee Has a New AI Policy | The Tyee
Long story short: We’re mostly taking a pass on the robots.
thetyee.ca
December 6, 2025 at 6:07 PM
We published our AI policy yesterday. It affirms our commitment to human-made writing, photography and illustrations. #journalism #localnews You can read more here: thetyee.ca/Tyeenews/202...
Reposted by Paul Allen 🌐🇨🇦
unfortunately, this paragraph of the manifesto is not correct in any way whatsoever.
no existing thing sold as "AI" does this at all. the marketers lie that it does, and then it doesn't.
anyone signing this manifesto, ask them for the software that does this.
no existing thing sold as "AI" does this at all. the marketers lie that it does, and then it doesn't.
anyone signing this manifesto, ask them for the software that does this.
December 5, 2025 at 9:00 PM
unfortunately, this paragraph of the manifesto is not correct in any way whatsoever.
no existing thing sold as "AI" does this at all. the marketers lie that it does, and then it doesn't.
anyone signing this manifesto, ask them for the software that does this.
no existing thing sold as "AI" does this at all. the marketers lie that it does, and then it doesn't.
anyone signing this manifesto, ask them for the software that does this.
Reposted by Paul Allen 🌐🇨🇦
Maybe this is a controversial take but I would love it if we were able to do our jobs and ask questions of elected officials.
Context: Premier Eby held 2 press conferences today, one about involuntary treatment for children and the other about Surrey Memorial Hospital expansion.
@rumneeek.bsky.social queued for questions at one, and I did for the other. Neither of us got called on to ask qs for @pressprogress.ca
#bcpoli
@rumneeek.bsky.social queued for questions at one, and I did for the other. Neither of us got called on to ask qs for @pressprogress.ca
#bcpoli
December 5, 2025 at 9:22 PM
Maybe this is a controversial take but I would love it if we were able to do our jobs and ask questions of elected officials.
Reposted by Paul Allen 🌐🇨🇦
I wrote a blog post about the often stated but never explained assumption that communities in graphs should always be connected.
This is inconsistent with statistical significance and null models that underlie the most widely employed methods.
skewed.de/lab/posts/co...
This is inconsistent with statistical significance and null models that underlie the most widely employed methods.
skewed.de/lab/posts/co...
The perplexing “connected cluster axiom” – Inverse Complexity Lab
Research group on inverse problems in complex systems and network science.
skewed.de
December 4, 2025 at 9:10 PM
I wrote a blog post about the often stated but never explained assumption that communities in graphs should always be connected.
This is inconsistent with statistical significance and null models that underlie the most widely employed methods.
skewed.de/lab/posts/co...
This is inconsistent with statistical significance and null models that underlie the most widely employed methods.
skewed.de/lab/posts/co...
Reposted by Paul Allen 🌐🇨🇦
Yes, @rebeccasear.bsky.social has a great piece on this www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Demography and the rise, apparent fall, and resurgence of eugenics
Demography was heavily involved in the eugenics movement of the early twentieth century but, along with most other social science disciplines, largely rejected eugenic thinking in the decades after...
www.tandfonline.com
December 4, 2025 at 5:12 PM
Yes, @rebeccasear.bsky.social has a great piece on this www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Reposted by Paul Allen 🌐🇨🇦
In the newsletter: 'Why Dashboards That Deliver' by @datarevelations.com @abmakulec.bsky.social and @acotgreave.bsky.social by should be your next read openvisualizationacademy.beehiiv.com/p/why-dashbo...
#dataViz #infographics #dataJournalism #dataVisualization
#dataViz #infographics #dataJournalism #dataVisualization
Why Dashboards That Deliver Should Be Your Next Read
openvisualizationacademy.beehiiv.com
December 4, 2025 at 1:24 PM
In the newsletter: 'Why Dashboards That Deliver' by @datarevelations.com @abmakulec.bsky.social and @acotgreave.bsky.social by should be your next read openvisualizationacademy.beehiiv.com/p/why-dashbo...
#dataViz #infographics #dataJournalism #dataVisualization
#dataViz #infographics #dataJournalism #dataVisualization
Reposted by Paul Allen 🌐🇨🇦
loved this conversation. Anyone need a crash course on why the intersection of AI, fascism and climate breakdown? We tried to cover it all!
🚨The video recording of the AI and the Politics of Extraction panel is now live! Watch this fascinating 1.5 hour discussion with @naomiaklein.bsky.social, @profwhw.bsky.social, @mysdick.bsky.social, and @profhvdv.bsky.social as they explore the risks of unfettered AI implementation.
AI and the Politics of Extraction | Centre for Climate Justice
YouTube video by Centre for Climate Justice
www.youtube.com
December 4, 2025 at 4:00 AM
loved this conversation. Anyone need a crash course on why the intersection of AI, fascism and climate breakdown? We tried to cover it all!
Reposted by Paul Allen 🌐🇨🇦
This is a great and very valuable list that Eryk has compiled, and I am more than grateful he included my essay on «Platform Realism.» Such a great honor! Many pieces in there I've missed, so I'll be busy the next hours checking them out …
It’s that time of year: what was the piece of writing about AI that stuck with you the most this year, pop press or academic? A few of mine in the thread. ⬇️
December 4, 2025 at 5:20 AM
This is a great and very valuable list that Eryk has compiled, and I am more than grateful he included my essay on «Platform Realism.» Such a great honor! Many pieces in there I've missed, so I'll be busy the next hours checking them out …
Reposted by Paul Allen 🌐🇨🇦
Such a great and important piece!
Probably the most consequential piece I wrote this year was “Anatomy of an AI Coup” as part of my fellowship with @techpolicypress.bsky.social this year: www.techpolicy.press/anatomy-of-a...
Anatomy of an AI Coup | TechPolicy.Press
DOGE is gutting federal agencies to install AI across the government. Democracy is on the line, writes Tech Policy Press fellow Eryk Salvaggio.
www.techpolicy.press
December 4, 2025 at 5:21 AM
Such a great and important piece!
Reposted by Paul Allen 🌐🇨🇦
A blog post giving a more thorough take on survey experiments and the credibility revolution: cyrussamii.com?p=4168
December 3, 2025 at 5:23 PM
A blog post giving a more thorough take on survey experiments and the credibility revolution: cyrussamii.com?p=4168
Reposted by Paul Allen 🌐🇨🇦
I just published a new installment of “A Gentle Introduction to GDAL” — Python & the Command Line.
#dataviz #cartography #python #gdal
medium.com/@robsimmon/a...
#dataviz #cartography #python #gdal
medium.com/@robsimmon/a...
A Gentle Introduction to GDAL Part 10: Python & the Command Line
Scripting directly on the command line with Bash or Zsh is relatively straightforward: work out a sequence of commands, then wrap them in a…
medium.com
December 3, 2025 at 6:00 PM
I just published a new installment of “A Gentle Introduction to GDAL” — Python & the Command Line.
#dataviz #cartography #python #gdal
medium.com/@robsimmon/a...
#dataviz #cartography #python #gdal
medium.com/@robsimmon/a...
Reposted by Paul Allen 🌐🇨🇦
As the geopolitical rivalry between the United States and China continues, Weijia Rao explores how Beijing has begun to adopt laws that mirror the national security legal tools that America has deployed against it. www.lawfaremedia.org/article/chin...
China’s Turn to National Security Lawfare
The U.S.-China rivalry is fueling a legal arms race.
www.lawfaremedia.org
December 3, 2025 at 8:03 PM
As the geopolitical rivalry between the United States and China continues, Weijia Rao explores how Beijing has begun to adopt laws that mirror the national security legal tools that America has deployed against it. www.lawfaremedia.org/article/chin...
Reposted by Paul Allen 🌐🇨🇦
chaser: after local outcry against a massive proposed AWS data center near Tucson (yes, in the desert!), developers agreed to use a less water-intensive cooling system.
AWS has now backed out because "its operations aren't compatible" with the less water-intensive option.
tucson.com/news/local/s...
AWS has now backed out because "its operations aren't compatible" with the less water-intensive option.
tucson.com/news/local/s...
December 3, 2025 at 4:26 PM
chaser: after local outcry against a massive proposed AWS data center near Tucson (yes, in the desert!), developers agreed to use a less water-intensive cooling system.
AWS has now backed out because "its operations aren't compatible" with the less water-intensive option.
tucson.com/news/local/s...
AWS has now backed out because "its operations aren't compatible" with the less water-intensive option.
tucson.com/news/local/s...
Reposted by Paul Allen 🌐🇨🇦
December 3, 2025 at 1:29 PM
Pete Tuffrey (British Artist, born 1953)
"The Bolton Wanderer", 2025.
Oil on Canvas, 16" × 12".
Private Collection.
"The Bolton Wanderer", 2025.
Oil on Canvas, 16" × 12".
Private Collection.
December 3, 2025 at 1:32 PM
Pete Tuffrey (British Artist, born 1953)
"The Bolton Wanderer", 2025.
Oil on Canvas, 16" × 12".
Private Collection.
"The Bolton Wanderer", 2025.
Oil on Canvas, 16" × 12".
Private Collection.
Reposted by Paul Allen 🌐🇨🇦
The statistical performance indicators data from the World Bank for 2024 has been released today, and I've been working on a little interactive explainer 📊
Check it out here: nrennie.rbind.io/statistical-...
#DataViz #ggplot2
Check it out here: nrennie.rbind.io/statistical-...
#DataViz #ggplot2
December 2, 2025 at 11:30 PM
The statistical performance indicators data from the World Bank for 2024 has been released today, and I've been working on a little interactive explainer 📊
Check it out here: nrennie.rbind.io/statistical-...
#DataViz #ggplot2
Check it out here: nrennie.rbind.io/statistical-...
#DataViz #ggplot2
Reposted by Paul Allen 🌐🇨🇦
This is what we need. A way of talking about AI literacy that centres critical thinking!!!
New preprint! @marentierra.bsky.social @irisvanrooij.bsky.social & I have been working on what CAIL means to showcase & propagate the idea of thinking very differently to tech industry norms on "artificial intelligence"
Towards Critical Artificial Intelligence Literacies doi.org/10.5281/zeno...
1/
Towards Critical Artificial Intelligence Literacies doi.org/10.5281/zeno...
1/
December 2, 2025 at 10:23 PM
This is what we need. A way of talking about AI literacy that centres critical thinking!!!
Reposted by Paul Allen 🌐🇨🇦
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
How are still not being genocided? Y’all treat us like lab rats to this day! And want to hide it all behind racist fears and projections. Land back will happen! #Landback
How are still not being genocided? Y’all treat us like lab rats to this day! And want to hide it all behind racist fears and projections. Land back will happen! #Landback
Mohawk Mothers worry potential evidence at McGill University work site will be destroyed | CBC News
A spokeswoman for the group says workers could destroy evidence, but McGill says agreement is being honoured.
www.cbc.ca
December 2, 2025 at 2:32 AM
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
How are still not being genocided? Y’all treat us like lab rats to this day! And want to hide it all behind racist fears and projections. Land back will happen! #Landback
How are still not being genocided? Y’all treat us like lab rats to this day! And want to hide it all behind racist fears and projections. Land back will happen! #Landback
🇨🇦😠
Shopify’s former COO (left in Sept 2025 to CEO of Opendoor) Kaz Nejatian cofounded far-right propaganda outlet True North with his wife, Candice Malcolm, then promptly platformed Proud Boys, a white supremicist group.
December 2, 2025 at 3:01 AM
🇨🇦😠
Reposted by Paul Allen 🌐🇨🇦
Excited to share a new working paper!
What happened when Change.org integrated an AI writing tool into their platform? We provide causal evidence that petition text changed significantly while outcomes did not improve. 1/
arxiv.org/abs/2511.13949
What happened when Change.org integrated an AI writing tool into their platform? We provide causal evidence that petition text changed significantly while outcomes did not improve. 1/
arxiv.org/abs/2511.13949
Introducing AI to an Online Petition Platform Changed Outputs but not Outcomes
The rapid integration of AI writing tools into online platforms raises critical questions about their impact on content production and outcomes. We leverage a unique natural experiment on Change$.$org...
arxiv.org
December 1, 2025 at 8:32 PM
Excited to share a new working paper!
What happened when Change.org integrated an AI writing tool into their platform? We provide causal evidence that petition text changed significantly while outcomes did not improve. 1/
arxiv.org/abs/2511.13949
What happened when Change.org integrated an AI writing tool into their platform? We provide causal evidence that petition text changed significantly while outcomes did not improve. 1/
arxiv.org/abs/2511.13949