Joe Levy

If your idea of abundance is a robot to make you a sandwich, you might not have a very clear idea of how many hands it takes and how many resources are involved in getting that food into your fridge in the first place.

A World Where All Is Free? That’s Elon Musk’s Theory of ‘Sustainable Abundance.’

It seems like many of the industries that produce the most life support (farming, mining, caregiving) are also some of the most labor intensive and lowest margin. There's RoI if you automate a chip-fab or a iPhone plant. But is there the capital or the technology to automate real arduous labor?

So, the great contribution of LLMs to human civilization is going to be ... more science fiction writing?

I thought the only choices were still, sparkling, or scrumpy.

1585 days is a long trip, but you can't beat the gas mileage.

Well played!

I guess they fired the graphics team at the Washington Post, too. That first icon is freestyle snowboard, right? Then cross country-skiing while angry, and Star Trek transporter accident.

How far does the glitter plume extend out into the gulf? And will it serve as a major marker bed for future stratigraphers?

Cold deserts are dominated by physical weathering, not chemical weathering, you say? Check out new work in @geosociety.bsky.social Bulletin showing evidence for aluminosilicate weathering in Antarctic #wetlands & #groundwater. doi.org/10.1130/B386... ⚒️🧪❄️🧪💧🧪 Starring @colgate.edu student scientists!

I've got 3 great undergrads presenting their work at LPSC before they graduate in May, but I won't be presenting myself. I'm there to support them & promote their work. If you've got a student going to the meeting who needs a supportive audience to help their science grow, hit me up!

On the other hand, it is good to resist atomization, to get together to organize, to talk great science, and to support our students.

I shared this yesterday without comment because, on the one hand, it's good to resist censorship, to resist complying in advance, and to resist forces making our country and its states unwelcoming (and even dangerous) for visitors and for members of our own scientific community.

There's going to be so few people at LPSC57 that they may have to rename it LPSC28.5.

LPSC 2026 - Lunar and Planetary Science Conference We’re excited to announce that the 57th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (LPSC) will take place March 16–20, 2026, at The Woodlands Waterway Marriott Hotel and Convention Center in The Woodlands...

It looks like ~1,000 accepted abstracts for #LPSC2026, down from >2,000 in 2023 (typical range seems to be ~2,000 ± 300 or so).

www.hou.usra.edu/meetings/lps...

I was going to add that heat pumps and an induction stove still make me very susceptible to wood stove envy! Looks lovely!

That sounds like an awesome class! It makes me want to teach my science & society class, “Fire” which is all about what we burn, how we burn it, who decides, & what the consequences are.

We’ve mostly decarbonized my house for heat & cooking , but I’m grateful for carbon in this weather in cocoa!

I'm no fan of the Bored of Peace, but in fairness, realistic map projections have never been a strength of US government logos, even from organizations who should know better. Our planet just has a pesky amount of ocean on it.

I think my new definition for "mid-career" for #academics is the year that the cat you adopted in grad school and/or the dog you adopted as a postdoc reach the end of their days. This may be the real reason associate profs are so famously glum. It has been a rough few months for household mammals.

Go giant, slow-moving rocket, go!

I love it! Vexillology for those vexed by authoritarianism.

The many faces of Crystal Geyser in Green River, UT. Spending some time with it this afternoon was a treat after a day in the Jurassic. ⚒️🧪

I generally think I have a pretty cool job as a geoscientist, explorer, and teacher, but I also think I will never be as cool (at least not in the eyes of my 12 year old kid) as whoever ends up with these gigs.

a man wearing glasses stands in front of a blackboard with the words bueller written on it ALT: a man wearing glasses stands in front of a blackboard with the words bueller written on it

One of my students just submitted their LPSC abstract - # 1439 on deadline morning. Looks like it could be a very sparsely attended meeting. Anyone want to hang out not in TX and have censorship-free conversations about space & planetary science? We could ski & talk Mars here in central NY 🚀🪐🧪

Thanks! I wonder if its most common at SLACs.

Thanks!

I'm curious about how other faculties vote on things like approving university-wide changes to academic policy, updating promotion & tenure guidelines, etc. I'm less interested in info about elections to committees, which we handle via web ballot.

What kinds of voting procedures do you use?

For example, I'm at an institution with ~350 faculty. We have a monthly open faculty meeting where any faculty member can attend & participate. Voting occurs in person in that meeting. We do not have a faculty senate with elected representatives. But, if you miss the meeting, you miss the vote.

a kermit the frog is holding a sign that says vote . ALT: a kermit the frog is holding a sign that says vote .

Higher education #academicsky faculty folks, how does your institution handle faculty governance-related voting? In-person balloting? Do you get an email with a voting link? Sherds in a pot? Your elected faculty representative votes for you?

We lost a great many frosted gingerbread cookies and gingerbread house panels to my dog last year who snarfed them off the edge of the table. Who knew winter cookies were so irresistible to canines?

Good morning friends at #AGU! If you want to talk permafrost hydrology, drones, or remote sensing, drop by poster 0901 this morning from 10-12:30! #Cryosphere section by the hotdog stand. ⚒️🧪 #drones