Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Titus Brown

Gail Drakes @gaildrakes.bsky.social · 11h

Are you a non-Black person pissed at Bluesky leadership and feeling a little jealous of all the good vibes coming from Blacksky?

There are Blacksky adjacent options for you! Here’s info from the Blacksky migration guide!

docs.blacksky.community/migrating-to...

Screengrab from Blacksky migration guide:

blacksky algorithms

A Warning: Anyone else using a blacksky.app handle will receive a warning at first and then a suspension.

Alternative PDSs for Everyone
Blacksky Algorithms also operates two other
PDSs that are open to anyone:
• myatproto.social - Open to all
• cryptoanarchy.network - Open to all

These servers run on the same infrastructure as blacksky.app and are maintained by the same team, but are available for anyone to use regardless of background.

33 240 580

Reposted by Titus Brown

James Tauber @jtauber.com · 12h

still LOTS more to do before it's usable but I've started a repo template for publishing Obsidian vaults using Ryland: github.com/jtauber/ryla...

GitHub - jtauber/ryland-obsidian-template: a template for publishing an Obsidian vault using Ryland

a template for publishing an Obsidian vault using Ryland - jtauber/ryland-obsidian-template

github.com

1 2 10

Titus Brown @titus.idyll.org · 19h

all the work of Mostafa (first author), I believe!

1

Titus Brown @titus.idyll.org · 19h

A new paper from the lab! Work led by
@drtamermansour.bsky.social and others not here on bsky. "We propose the Great Genotyper, a population-scale genotyping workflow to address the N+1 problem."

The Great Genotyper: a graph-based method for population genotyping of small and structural variants

Long-read sequencing (LRS) enables high-quality structural variant (SV) discovery. SV genotypers utilize these precise call sets to improve the recall and precision of genotyping in short-read sequenc...

pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

1 4 16

Titus Brown @titus.idyll.org · 20h

huh. Maybe mention solid state physics...

1

Titus Brown @titus.idyll.org · 21h

Coming from my perspective of trying to write general purpose bioinformatics software, you do a really nice job of explaining why my job is so hard 😅. One reason the sourmash issue tracker is full of "we think this generally works, but here are reasons why it is still tricky dep on question!"

4

Titus Brown @titus.idyll.org · 21h

It's not complicated to explain why, but I agree that making an argument that non-experts will believe / trust is harder to achieve :)

1

Titus Brown @titus.idyll.org · 21h

Really good post!

Claus Wilke @clauswilke.com · 23h

Biology is much more complicated than most non-biologists can imagine. And AI is not going to change this anytime soon.
blog.genesmindsmachines.com/p/we-still-c...

We still can’t predict much of anything in biology

Biology is hard. Yes, even for AI.

blog.genesmindsmachines.com

1 1 11

Reposted by Titus Brown

Claus Wilke @clauswilke.com · 23h

Biology is much more complicated than most non-biologists can imagine. And AI is not going to change this anytime soon.
blog.genesmindsmachines.com/p/we-still-c...

We still can’t predict much of anything in biology

Biology is hard. Yes, even for AI.

blog.genesmindsmachines.com

4 42 110

Reposted by Titus Brown

Tyler @electriceden92.bsky.social · 22h

My blood pressure can't take another one of these pieces, but anyone who bit: is this satire or deadly earnest and what does the robot Asian girl with the ax have to do with it

From NYMag: 'The Techno Optimist's Guide to Futureproofing Your Child: AI has killed the old achievement track. What should we raise our kids to do instead?' by Benjamin Wallace

1 3 8

Reposted by Titus Brown

Micah @rincewind.run · 1d

erin is back, which is good, and I do think the “this was a mod error based off people brigading and reporting erin’s post in bad faith” explanation is likely correct

but honestly at this point I don’t understand why there isn’t an extra layer of review for prominent accounts because of optics

Rick Caruso’s Private Fire Crew @amandasmith.bsky.social · 1d

The all-knowing bsky mods gave Erin Biba a 24 hour suspension for a months-old skeet about Christian Zionism, and I’m sure it’s just a coincidence that this happened when she’s been vocally criticizing Jay

22 120 1.1K

Reposted by Titus Brown

Kevin M. Kruse @kevinmkruse.bsky.social · 1d

Sounds like Republicans ought to get all the Republicans who form the Republican majorities in the Republican-led House and the Republican-led Senate together to pass the budget that Republicans wrote with the Republican White House and that Republicans now insist absolutely must be passed.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 1d

Sean Duffy says the safety of the air traffic control system will start being impacted next Sunday if the shutdown continues

110 1.6K 5.6K

Reposted by Titus Brown

Rick Caruso’s Private Fire Crew @amandasmith.bsky.social · 1d

Update: @erinbiba.bsky.social is back!
bsky.app/profile/aman...

Rick Caruso’s Private Fire Crew @amandasmith.bsky.social · 1d

Suspending Erin Biba, a Jewish woman for this skeet is nasty work. Between this and intentionally misreading Link’s use of a meme as a threat, bsky mods are more than willing to ban based on the Spirit Of The Law for *some* posters but never Jesse Singal.

bsky.app/profile/aman...

"All the Jews have to die or convert to trigger the rapture. Then our dead bodies surround Jerusalem and they climb over us to reach Jesus, who will bring them to heaven. It's why they're all Zionists obsessed with Israel.
Cause they need Jews to go there so we can die"

9 69 530

Titus Brown @titus.idyll.org · 1d

techcrunch.com/2025/10/05/w...

The moderation team is ... I don't actually know what they are doing. But they've banned some people for reasons that are quite sus.

1

Titus Brown @titus.idyll.org · 1d

Hi folks, is there a nice summary anywhere of our options for departing bsky.app (the site) and migrating to other places with our followers/followees?

Not that I'm going to press the big red emergency button just yet but I am v. worried about the bsky moderation stuff (codeword: waffle).

Bluesky

Social media as it should be. Find your community among millions of users, unleash your creativity, and have some fun again.

bsky.app

1 2

Reposted by Titus Brown

Richard Sever @richardsever.bsky.social · 1d

New blog post. In which I analyze the new HHMI announcement and what it means for the science publishing ecosystem openrxiv.org/preprint-man...

Preprint mandates gather momentum - openRxiv

By Richard Sever, PhD. Chief Science & Strategy Officer, openRxiv Preprints speed up science by enabling researchers to disseminate reports of new findings immediately. They also represent a simple wa...

openrxiv.org

16 31

Reposted by Titus Brown

Chris Franklin @errant-signal.com · 2d

So let me get this today’s drama right:

* Jay followed noted transphobe Jonathan Chait
* Blacksky user Link pointed that out that’s fucked up after the past week
* Link was banned on Blueskys appview presumably by Jay
* But Link is also hidden from Blacksky b/c it still uses said appview

6 650 2.2K

Reposted by Titus Brown

chelsea bridge 🏳️‍⚧️ @secretaboutbox.bsky.social · 2d

just a reminder that the NYPost lying about trans people committing a wave of mass-murders is still up after *many* complaints

link was better for this place than jay is

Aveta👾🇭🇹 @aliafonzy.blacksky.app · 2d

Unfortunate update: Link reached out to BlueSky and got email back now on reason.

His appeal is denied. He will remain permanently banned on BlueSky’s side.

Here are the screenshots he just sent me as of 8:22 AM EST(my time)

A screenshot of an email from the Bluesky Moderation Team with the subject line “Bluesky Account Behavior” sent at 22:15. The email states that a Bluesky account controlled by the recipient, with the handle @spacelawshitpost.me, posted a reply with an image where the alt text reads: Charlie Kirk sitting in a white T-shirt that says “Freedom.” A negative consequence follows. The email indicates this post violates Community Guidelines regarding violent or threatening speech, specifically listing threats of violence or physical harm against individuals, groups, institutions, or the general public, and incitement of self-harm or suicide.

A screenshot of an email continuation from the Bluesky Moderation Team displaying a bulleted list of Community Guidelines violations. The first bullet point describes threats of violence or physical harm as including threats or encouragement of violence against individuals, groups, institutions, or the general public. The second bullet point defines incitement of self-harm or suicide as content that encourages self-harm or suicide. The third bullet point explains wishes of harm as expressions of a desire for harm directed at a specific person or group. Below the bullets, a paragraph states that users may not use Bluesky to break the law or cause harm to others and that all users must be treated with respect. The next paragraph informs the recipient that as a result of these violations, your account has been taken down. A closing paragraph thanks the user for doing their part to keep Bluesky a welcoming and empowering place for all users and instructs them to email moderation@blueskyweb.xyz if they have questions or wish to appeal the decision. The email ends with the signature Bluesky Moderation Team.

A screenshot of an email from the Bluesky Moderation Team sent at 08:11 with the subject line Re: Bluesky Account Behavior addressed To: Hide My Email. The email reads:

Hi there,

Thank you for reaching out to appeal the takedown of your account on Bluesky. We have carefully reviewed your case, including the information you provided and the activity that led to the suspension of your account.

After investigating, we have determined that your account activity was in violation of our community guidelines, specifically promoting hateful content or being disruptive to other users. We take these guidelines seriously to ensure a safe and respectful environment for all our users.

As a result, we regret to inform you that your appeal has been denied, and your account will remain suspended. This decision is final and cannot be reversed. We understand that this may be disappointing news, but we must prioritize the well-being of our community and maintain a consistent enforcement of our policies. We encourage you to review our community guidelines to better understand the expectations we have for user behavior on our platform. Please do not create new accounts, since those will be taken down for ban evasion.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

4 82 340

Reposted by Titus Brown

Dr. Damien P. Williams Wants A Better Sociotechnical Paradigm @wolvendamien.bsky.social · 2d

This is genuinely some bullshit on bsky's part. A reaction meme of charlie kirk gets a Black person a permanent suspension, but people who actively doxx and spread hate against marginalized people not only get to stay, but het followed by mods?

We see you, bsky, and it's pretty fucking disgusting.

Aveta👾🇭🇹 @aliafonzy.blacksky.app · 2d

Unfortunate update: Link reached out to BlueSky and got email back now on reason.

His appeal is denied. He will remain permanently banned on BlueSky’s side.

Here are the screenshots he just sent me as of 8:22 AM EST(my time)

14 550 1.3K

Reposted by Titus Brown

Dr. Becca @docbecca.bsky.social · 2d

“the most sweeping pile of unconstitutional conditions that any American constitutional lawyer has ever seen in the wild.” Must-read analysis of the govt’s proposed “compact” with US universities. balkin.blogspot.com/2025/10/the-...

The Art of Replacing the Law with the Deal

This week, the Trump Administration attempted to make universities an offer we can’t refuse. With great fanfare, the administration announce...

balkin.blogspot.com

3 3

Reposted by Titus Brown

Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò @olufemiotaiwo.bsky.social · 2d

*elite capture intensifies*

Peter @notalawyer.bsky.social · 2d

Bari is going to run CBS News not because of her journalism, or even because of The Free Press, but because much of the mainstream media serves as a vessel for elites to distribute power to their allies

9 180 1.1K

Reposted by Titus Brown

Paul Carini @uncultured.carinilab.com · 14d

What are folks using for calling genes these days in isolate genomes: PGAP, Bakta, or Prokka? This is for a 70% GC genome of a very novel lineage.

7 7 10

Titus Brown @titus.idyll.org · 4d

Yes. (I am a prof at UC Davis)

AAUP @aaup.org · 4d

UC’s Academic Council calls on the Office of the President & the UC Board of Regents to unequivocally reject governmental demands that compromise institutional autonomy and #academicfreedom.

This is the way.

#DefendHigherEd

Brian Soucek @brsoucek.bsky.social · 4d

Strong statement today from UC's Academic Senate:

1 10

Reposted by Titus Brown

AAUP @aaup.org · 4d

UC’s Academic Council calls on the Office of the President & the UC Board of Regents to unequivocally reject governmental demands that compromise institutional autonomy and #academicfreedom.

This is the way.

#DefendHigherEd

Brian Soucek @brsoucek.bsky.social · 4d

Strong statement today from UC's Academic Senate:

2 65 190

Reposted by Titus Brown

jenn schiffer 🕷️🕯️ @jennschiffer.com · 4d

i was very fortunate to find a mentor early on in my studies who taught me that it’s actually smarter to not know everything because then you are open to listening and learning more from others than you could ever imagine knowing you can learn. knowing what you don’t know is a superpower!

1 4 19