Ben Waber

Gladly:

"You used ChatGPT enough to export data? How many dirty Christmas themed limericks can you possibly need?"

"Ah, taking the moral stance and moving to the company that eschews military uses in favor of eugenics, I see."

"It's great that you won't have to make up data a second time."

A highly complex website showing two betting accounts earning nearly $500,000 and $120,000 on a minimal number of positions.

In case you were wondering, Polymarket had yet another spate of likely inside traders betting that the US would strike Iran by February 28.

Per the due diligence investigation service Bubblemaps, the wallets used were created 24 hours earlier.

The Pentagon Pizza Index has been replaced.

Headline from Tokyo Shimbun. JP text: 外国人摘発４割減、警察庁データ　２５年間分析、１４都道県半分に

Right-wing online dialogue says foreigners are making Japan less safe. But a report from the National Police Agency says the number of crimes in which foreigners were apprehended has dropped by a full 40% from its peak in 2019-2024, falling by half in 14 prefectures.

I was desperately hoping this would turn out to be untrue, but my gut knew better.

I don’t believe in hell, but days like today would be easier if I did.

Iran says death toll in strike on elementary school rises to 85

abcnews.com/Internationa...

I have nothing good to say about Anthropic just like I have nothing good to say about Muskrat during his spat with the orange man, or any of the orange man's associates when he turns on them. Anthropic knowingly partnered with the pentagon. Their other partner, Palantir,...

YouTube video by Paul G. Allen School Robotics Colloquium: Marynel Vázquez (Yale University)

Last was a compelling talk by Marynel Vázquez on embedding social intelligence in robots www.youtube.com/watch?v=OpS4... (10/10)

NBER Economic Fluctuations and Growth Program Meeting YouTube video by NBER

Next was a thought-provoking talk by @schoefer.bsky.social on modeling monopsony, markdowns, and minimum wages at @nber.org www.youtube.com/live/aWDp2xh... (9/10)

YouTube video by GRASP Lab Spring 2026 GRASP on Robotics - Daniel Lee, Cornell University

Next was an intriguing talk by Daniel Lee on quantifying the structure and similarity of high dimensional neural representations at the @grasplab.bsky.social www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfyF... (8/10)

YouTube video by IAIFI: Institute for AI & Fundamental Interactions From Entropy to Epiplexity: Rethinking Information for Computationally Bounded Intelligence

Next was an excellent talk by @andrewgwils.bsky.social on rethinking information theory for extremely large models at the NSF AI Institute for Artificial Intelligence and Fundamental Interactions (IAIFI) www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XBq... (7/10)

YouTube video by School of Law, Boston University Andrew R. Randall Chair Investiture Ceremony and Lecture

Next was an amazing talk by @hartzog.bsky.social on the need to prioritize collective well-being over individual protections in privacy law at @bulaw.bsky.social. Highly recommend www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mi9... (6/10)

YouTube video by Deep Learning Indaba Neuro AI in Africa: Dr Ilenna Jones on Brain Science, Compute Access & Research Equity

Next was an engaging conversation with @ilennaj.bsky.social on computational neuroscience in Africa and beyond at @deeplearningindaba.bsky.social www.youtube.com/watch?v=tU-W... (5/10)

YouTube video by Solove on Tech The Limitations of Privacy Rights

Next was a great talk by @daniel-solove.bsky.social on the limitations of privacy rights www.youtube.com/watch?v=o4rz... (4/10)

YouTube video by Plamadiso - Platforms, Markets & Digital Society “Balancing privacy & platform power in the mobile ecosystem: The case of Apple’s ATT” –Julia Krämer

Next was an interesting talk by @juliakraemer.bsky.social on balancing privacy and platform power in the mobile ecosystem at @weizenbauminstitut.bsky.social www.youtube.com/watch?v=5QfV... (3/10)

YouTube video by Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford A Democratic View on Trustworthy AI: From Worrying About Fabrications to Looking at Vulnerability

First was a fantastic talk by @eugeniaunivie.bsky.social on interrogating the notion of "trustworthy AI" at @oii.ox.ac.uk. Stamboliev incisively picks apart this concept, proposing a move to "democratic trustworthiness." Highly recommend www.youtube.com/watch?v=EH4j... (2/10)

A snowed-over frozen portion of the Charles River, with thick forest on the far bank, on a sunny day.

I had a hectic end to the week, but in between calls and shuttling the kids around I listened to talks for my #AcademicRunPlaylist! (1/10)

Empire of Purity How the US crusade against prostitution became a tool of empire

Last was "Empire of Purity" by @evapayne.bsky.social. This is an eye-opening look at a critical historical period - the half-century when the US successfully turned the world away from regulation and legalization of prostitution. Highly recommend

Full review: bookwyrm.social/user/bwaber/... (5/5)

YouTube video by Indigenous Data Alliance The World's First Indigenous Data Standard: IEEE 2890-2025 Provenance of Indigenous Peoples’ Data

Next was an important panel on the new IEEE indigenous data standard with Stephanie Carroll, Jane Anderson, Randall Akee, Maui Hudson, and @tahltanlibrarian.bsky.social at the Indigenous Data Alliance www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOwG... (4/5)

YouTube video by CASBS David Card: Behind the Nobel

Next was an engaging conversation with David Card on his career in economics at @casbsstanford.bsky.social www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_Hf... (3/5)

YouTube video by UCL Laws Professor Sir Robin Jacob's Lego Story Part 1

First was an incredible series of talks by Robin Jacob on Lego and intellectual property at @laws.ucl.ac.uk. Highly recommend

Part 1: www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Sbb...
Part 2: www.youtube.com/watch?v=HoT6...
Part 3: www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWgm... (2/5)

A selfie of me in front of a frozen and snowed over portion of the Charles River on a sunny day. Forest lines the far bank, and a small brush-filled peninsula juts out into the center of the river. On the right a house is just visible behind trees. I'm a bald, middle-aged, white man with a red beard flecked with white. I'm wearing black sunglasses, a yellow and blue running shirt, and a black New Balance running jacket.

It was a lovely day to go out for a run, and while getting a likely final glimpse of the frozen Charles River for the season I listened to talks for my #AcademicRunPlaylist! (1/5)

I mean Netflix gets $2.75 billion for free, this is clearly a great deal for them

The Conference of Catholic Bishops is... not playing around in this brief.

www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/25...

I mean Stanford is the nexus of AI hype

I imagine the reception at Stanford will be... frosty

too tired to engage directly but "other fields have to balance both sides" replies need to imagine a world in which a paper starting with "tobacco is known to benefit x,y, &z while it also poses risks to lung cancer" is acceptable

How Brothel Workers in Nevada Just Made Labor History The courtesans at Sheri’s Ranch were staring down a horrifying new contract. So they did what workers everywhere do: They got organized.

When faced with a shockingly exploitative new employment contract that would’ve forced them to sign away their IP, their likeness rights, and their power of attorney, Jupiter Jetson and her coworkers at Sheri’s fought back—fast.

They organized a union in SIX DAYS. www.thenation.com/article/econ...

If you're in Boston, please come hear me talk today at Northeastern about influencer law, memes, and copyright with Alex Roberts, Victoria Schwartz, and Stacey Lantagne

すぐパラリンピックが始まりますが、日本の社会がどのように「障害」という概念を理解したほうがいいのはまだ重要な課題です。このテーマを検討して内田 若希教授が九州大学で深く説明して、必要な考え方や社会の責任を調べます。全員が聞くべきだと思いま www.youtube.com/watch?v=n70D...

Witches, Midwives, & Nurses (Second Edition) Witches, Midwives, and Nurses examines how women-led healing was delegitimized to make way for patriarchy, capitalism, and the emerging medical industry. As we watch another agonizing attempt to shift...

Last was "Witches, Midwives, and Nurses" by Barbara Ehrenreich and Deirdre English. This is a classic of feminist and medical history, focusing on the roots of medical establishments and its entanglements with literal witch hunting

Full review: bookwyrm.social/user/bwaber/... (6/6)