Shan Kothari
@shankothari.bsky.social
Assistant professor at University of Alberta. Forest ecology + tree physiology. he/il
totally agree with the general thrust, but this seems to be selling short what LLMs do. as I see it, one of the more miraculous things about them is that they can sort of interpolate between existing texts and recombine information to answer questions that haven't been asked before!
October 4, 2025 at 5:41 AM
totally agree with the general thrust, but this seems to be selling short what LLMs do. as I see it, one of the more miraculous things about them is that they can sort of interpolate between existing texts and recombine information to answer questions that haven't been asked before!
This kind of smart, walkable, mixed-use urbanism is illegal to build in many American cities
September 17, 2025 at 6:45 PM
This kind of smart, walkable, mixed-use urbanism is illegal to build in many American cities
important career milestone
July 6, 2025 at 4:14 PM
important career milestone
A favorite example, from Penelope Fitzgerald's THE BOOKSHOP
July 5, 2025 at 5:37 PM
A favorite example, from Penelope Fitzgerald's THE BOOKSHOP
I'd like to think that the 2025 version of these Heems lines would find some way to work in Mamdani (who, I'm told, was first turned on to politics by Heems!)
June 25, 2025 at 9:18 PM
I'd like to think that the 2025 version of these Heems lines would find some way to work in Mamdani (who, I'm told, was first turned on to politics by Heems!)
Cate Blanchett has a chance to do the funniest thing of all time
June 21, 2025 at 2:58 PM
Cate Blanchett has a chance to do the funniest thing of all time
a couple weeks late to this, but happy first birthday to what might be the best album of my adult lifetime
April 11, 2025 at 1:24 AM
a couple weeks late to this, but happy first birthday to what might be the best album of my adult lifetime
extremely Borges-core title
March 31, 2025 at 5:14 AM
extremely Borges-core title
I'm on a hunt for the most purely, blandly beige building in all of Edmonton. Here are just a few of the many, many contenders.
March 3, 2025 at 5:25 AM
I'm on a hunt for the most purely, blandly beige building in all of Edmonton. Here are just a few of the many, many contenders.
shout-out to the students who wrote Judge Holden and the Underground Man
January 30, 2025 at 1:40 AM
shout-out to the students who wrote Judge Holden and the Underground Man
look at this ancient Egyptian nepo baby
January 10, 2025 at 4:36 PM
look at this ancient Egyptian nepo baby
to be fair... Atrium avait apparemment annoncé la décision en septembre
December 13, 2024 at 2:16 AM
to be fair... Atrium avait apparemment annoncé la décision en septembre
confession: the only reason I stayed active on Twitter so long is that Mitski follows me there (proof below)
November 28, 2024 at 1:55 AM
confession: the only reason I stayed active on Twitter so long is that Mitski follows me there (proof below)
5: from Enrique Granados, Goyescas, Los requiebros
(almost wrote Enrique Iglesias 😬)
(almost wrote Enrique Iglesias 😬)
December 20, 2023 at 4:10 AM
5: from Enrique Granados, Goyescas, Los requiebros
(almost wrote Enrique Iglesias 😬)
(almost wrote Enrique Iglesias 😬)
4: from Maurice Ravel, Menuet antique
December 20, 2023 at 4:03 AM
4: from Maurice Ravel, Menuet antique
3: from Maurice Ravel, Concerto pour la main gauche
December 11, 2023 at 3:45 AM
3: from Maurice Ravel, Concerto pour la main gauche
2: from Olivier Messiaen, Vingt Regards sur l'Enfant-Jésus, Première communion de la Vierge
December 11, 2023 at 3:30 AM
2: from Olivier Messiaen, Vingt Regards sur l'Enfant-Jésus, Première communion de la Vierge
an entirely frivolous thread of snippets of music that look very satisfying
first off: from Alban Berg, Lyric Suite, mvmt 3
first off: from Alban Berg, Lyric Suite, mvmt 3
December 11, 2023 at 3:26 AM
an entirely frivolous thread of snippets of music that look very satisfying
first off: from Alban Berg, Lyric Suite, mvmt 3
first off: from Alban Berg, Lyric Suite, mvmt 3
I'm determined to post like in the early days of Twitter—just writing things absolutely nobody cares about. Things like this Mariah Carey tweet:
December 11, 2023 at 12:01 AM
I'm determined to post like in the early days of Twitter—just writing things absolutely nobody cares about. Things like this Mariah Carey tweet:
grateful to be in a city where the main orchestra is adventurous enough to put on an all-Messiaen concert ❤️
December 10, 2023 at 11:46 PM
grateful to be in a city where the main orchestra is adventurous enough to put on an all-Messiaen concert ❤️
this copy of Marcel Dubé's Zone I checked out from the BAnQ may be autographed?! (known signature in first image)
December 10, 2023 at 11:42 PM
this copy of Marcel Dubé's Zone I checked out from the BAnQ may be autographed?! (known signature in first image)
thank you to the previous reader of this copy of Comment faire l'amour avec un n— sans se fatiguer who took the time to write in a correction whenever Dany Laferrière screwed up the gender of a word
November 23, 2023 at 8:41 PM
thank you to the previous reader of this copy of Comment faire l'amour avec un n— sans se fatiguer who took the time to write in a correction whenever Dany Laferrière screwed up the gender of a word