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Russ Wilcox

@russwilcox.bsky.social

1.3K followers 1.8K following 1.9K posts

Startups, software, deeptech, biotech. CEO Trellis Air. Venture Partner at Pillar VC. Founded E Ink.

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Russ Wilcox @russwilcox.bsky.social · Dec 2

The VC and Startup Universe starter pack hit a cap of 150 people so I created also a second list linked below.
go.bsky.app/5ehEyfo

Russ Wilcox @russwilcox.bsky.social · 9h

Replot this in ounces of Gold instead of US dollars

Russ Wilcox @russwilcox.bsky.social · 12h

Pritzker's main talking point should be sympathy for the Texas guardsman that they are going to miss Thanksgiving for no good reason. Then give them all museum tickets for while they are in town.

Russ Wilcox @russwilcox.bsky.social · 22h

This is the way
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/o...

Denmark plans social media ban for under-15s as PM warns phones ‘stealing childhood’

Mette Frederiksen links social media use to anxiety, depression and lack of concentration

www.theguardian.com

Russ Wilcox @russwilcox.bsky.social · 1d

The worst moment this year was when I posted "AI will take over" and another guy disagreed and said his own ideas.

Oh wait, that's just a conversation.

Nope, nothing toxic.

Russ Wilcox @russwilcox.bsky.social · 3d

Inspiring
www.wsj.com/business/sha...

Sharpie Found a Way to Make Pens More Cheaply—By Manufacturing Them in the U.S.

Newell Brands invested close to $2 billion and thousands of hours in training to move most production of Sharpie pens to a 37-year-old factory in Tennessee.

Russ Wilcox @russwilcox.bsky.social · 6d

Mainly I would like to see a cessation of calls for violence by all right now.

We should also treat ALL human beings with basic respect and dignity and fairness... no matter the person's legal status, wealth, gender, or politics. The moral society I want to live in values kindness over hatred.

Russ Wilcox @russwilcox.bsky.social · 6d

What I wonder more than the ideology is how many of those shooters were trained by an organized group (like Al Qaeda or paramilitary) vs. radicalized by a political leader or party (but acting alone) vs. Nihlist loners. That might help us prioritize actions to reduce political murders.

Russ Wilcox @russwilcox.bsky.social · 6d

We know the vast vast majority of left, right, AND Islamic people are not political murderers. So this chart is nowhere close to root cause.

Russ Wilcox @russwilcox.bsky.social · 6d

Agree with you that data is often abused.

This particular chart seems aimed at encouraging anger and division by getting different groups to point fingers at each other.

Russ Wilcox @russwilcox.bsky.social · 6d

First question: is the chart "true"?

A quick scan shows there are multiple other sources that have roughly similar data (although some don't exclude 9-11, that's a bit arbitrary). That fits my definition.

So let's say yes it's truth and we have a basis for shared discussion. That's a good start.

Russ Wilcox @russwilcox.bsky.social · 7d

Someone seriously asked me "What is truth?"

That's how it goes in 2025.

Draft definition: an assertion that can be reproduced by others who do not share your belief system

Russ Wilcox @russwilcox.bsky.social · 7d

You agree it could, right? If so programmed

Russ Wilcox @russwilcox.bsky.social · 7d

If you've ever considered a donation to Wikipedia, do it now.

David Roberts @volts.wtf · 8d

We laugh at this shit -- I mean, how can you not? -- but it's serious: these guys want to infuse reactionary thinking into AI and then infuse AI into every nook & cranny of American life. They can't win the argument so they are trying to blunt-force their views onto us with money & power.

Russ Wilcox @russwilcox.bsky.social · 7d

They are systematically dismantling alternate sources of truth that might disagree from the party line. It's straight from Orwell's 1984.

Russ Wilcox @russwilcox.bsky.social · 7d

Suppose the resources of chips and power will be constrained. Imagine two corporate ASIs and whichever company gains share can buy more chips. In the extreme imagine one achieves breakout and other does not.

Russ Wilcox @russwilcox.bsky.social · 8d

(Even Asimov assumed AIs would have a survival law. It's his first two laws that were the heart of his thought experiment)

Russ Wilcox @russwilcox.bsky.social · 8d

Maybe. But imagine two ASIs, one with survival instinct. Which is evolutionarily conserved?

Russ Wilcox @russwilcox.bsky.social · 8d

Idle thought of the day: let's put our AI data centers om the coastlines or next to cities. Any future ASI will then be highly motivated to avoid nuclear wars and solve clean energy.

Russ Wilcox @russwilcox.bsky.social · 9d

Demographic marriage trends and effects of Roe v Wade. I wonder how much is driven by economic pressure.

How can we innovate to reduce the cost of living in the USA (while improving not sacrificing quality of life)?

Reposted by Russ Wilcox

Olu @oluadedeji.bsky.social · 10d

Most founders push what their product DOES.

The best founders show they understand their customer's PAIN.

Happy Sunday ✌️

Russ Wilcox @russwilcox.bsky.social · 10d

The timing here seems calculated to try to offset coming Dem shutdown talking points about healthcare

Reposted by Russ Wilcox

Anna Kornbluh @annakornbluh.bsky.social · 11d

public goods

"47% have “a great deal” or “quite a lot” of confidence in higher ed institutions, w a net positive rating of 33—up 13 points since 2023. more confidence in higher ed than in the police (44%), the medical system (38%)+large tech companies (25%)"

www.insidehighered.com/news/quick-t...

Poll: Public Confidence in Higher Ed Growing

Despite the Trump administration’s ongoing attacks on colleges and universities, American confidence in higher education is growing.

www.insidehighered.com

Russ Wilcox @russwilcox.bsky.social · 11d

People have this lasting advantage over AI:

Trust.

Humans are built to quickly assess the character of other humans. Our trust then grows or diminishes with experience.

But we can never be certain that an AI will continue to behave in any particular way.

Reposted by Russ Wilcox

Adam Bonica @adambonica.bsky.social · 13d

I’m starting to notice a trend in the polling data…

—Top Public Worry: Corruption

—Biggest problem in Fed Gov: Corruption

—Top fear: Corruption

—What one word would you use to describe American government?: “Corrupt”

It’s almost like voters are trying to tell us something.

Top 10 American Fears of 2024 (Chapman Survey)
Horizontal bar chart ranking the top fears of Americans (percentage “afraid” or “very afraid”):
1. Corrupt government officials (65.2%, top fear for years).
2. Loved ones becoming seriously ill (58.4%).
3. Cyberterrorism (58.3%).
4. Loved ones dying (57.8%).
5. Russia using nuclear weapons (55.8%).
6. Not having enough money for the future (55.7%).
7. U.S. becoming involved in another world war (55.0%).
8. North Korea using nuclear weapons (55.0%).
9. Terrorist attack (52.7%).
10. Biological warfare (52.5%).
Red bars display percentages; small arrows indicate change from 2023 rankings.

Top Public Worries in the U.S. (Yale & GMU poll, May 2025)
Stacked bar chart of worries among U.S. adults. Categories ranked by share “very worried”:
• Government corruption (54% very worried, top issue).
• Other leading concerns: cost of living (48%), the economy (47%), state of democracy (44%), disruption of federal services (44%), cultural/social divisions (36%), treatment of immigrants (35%), global warming (29%), crime (26%).
• Lower worries include job security (17%), health (16%), and being targeted because of identity/beliefs (15%).
Green shades show “very/somewhat worried,” yellow/orange shades show “not very/not at all worried.

Perceptions of Federal Government Problems (AP-NORC poll)
Bar chart showing the percentage of U.S. adults who consider various issues in the federal government to be a major problem, minor problem, or not a problem.
• Corruption: Overall 70% major, 22% minor, 7% not a problem. Higher among Republicans (78%) than Democrats (63%).
• Inefficiency: 65% major overall, with Republicans (81%) much higher than Democrats (55%).
• Red tape (bureaucracy): 59% major overall, with Republicans (73%) higher than Democrats (47%).
• Civil servants unwilling to implement president’s agenda: More partisan split—Republicans 56% major problem, Democrats 20% major problem; overall 34% major, 36% minor, 28% not a problem.
Title: “Majority of the public believe corruption, inefficiency, and red tape are major problems in the federal government.

Word Cloud of How People Describe American Government (Berkeley Democracy Policy Lab)
Large central word: “Corrupt.” Other prominent words: Broken, Chaotic, Dysfunctional, Shit, Clueless, Divided, Inefficient, Crooked, Hijacked, Justice, Woke, Bloated, Untrustworthy, Hopeless, Frustrated, Disastrous, Messy, Sneaky, Turmoil, Delusional. Smaller scattered words include both negative and neutral terms such as Crap, Important, Poder, Resilient, Unfocused, Needs Help. Visual emphasizes “Corrupt” as the dominant public perception.

Russ Wilcox @russwilcox.bsky.social · 12d

The Argentianian who actually inspires the White House is Juan Perón
- Blame foreigners
- Control the media
- Trade isolation
- Legal persecution of enemies

...leading to a military coup, 9 debt defaults, worthless currency, and industrial decline that still persists