Posts by gvwilson@mastodon.social
(DIR) Post #Ax1TlRfixo3potkDWC by gvwilson@mastodon.social
2025-08-09T12:20:23Z
0 likes, 1 repeats
My sister Sylvia died of pancreatic cancer in 2012 at the age of 47, leaving three teenage children behind. The mRNA cancer vaccine being developed in the US was the best hope we've ever had to prevent this. The Trump Administration's decision to cut funding for this live-saving research based on pseudo-scientific hysteria condemns more people like my sister to death, and more children to grow up without their mothers. https://third-bit.com/2012/01/21/the-life-i-did-live-the-breath-i-breathed/
(DIR) Post #AxJFILuNPdEn286sK0 by gvwilson@mastodon.social
2025-08-18T01:42:48Z
1 likes, 0 repeats
in March 2025, the CEO of Anthropic said that AI would be writing 90% of code within six months, so, um, look forward to a really big announcement in the next four weeks? https://www.businessinsider.com/anthropic-ceo-ai-90-percent-code-3-to-6-months-2025-3
(DIR) Post #AxOQ4Rnoltr0XuPj0q by gvwilson@mastodon.social
2025-08-21T11:04:07Z
1 likes, 1 repeats
Have you ever shut down a long-running open source software project or scientific research project? If so, I'd be grateful for a chance to ask you a few questions about what steps you took and how well it went - I'm gvwilson@third-bit.com, and thanks in advance.
(DIR) Post #Axj2GznRtHnes4qmiu by gvwilson@mastodon.social
2025-08-31T09:53:52Z
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Looking for the origin of the statement that the difference between right and left is often a difference between a zero-sum and non-zero-sum view of the world. Please only pointers to (possibly) original sources rather than comments on the idea itself - thank you.
(DIR) Post #AxtYtCXo5ENTWeOXjM by gvwilson@mastodon.social
2025-09-05T01:02:06Z
0 likes, 1 repeats
I have started interviewing people to learn more about how they shut down scientific research projects and/or software projects (both open source and commercial). If you have done this, either deliberately (on your own timeline) or abruptly (looking at you, DOGE) and are willing to talk about your experience, please reach out: I'm gvwilson@third-bit.com.
(DIR) Post #Ay4dIKH11KQjIBKt0K by gvwilson@mastodon.social
2025-09-10T19:43:47Z
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I am once again considering bicycles: https://third-bit.com/2017/12/17/consider-the-bicycle/
(DIR) Post #AyB4JZrsOBdves9rM0 by gvwilson@mastodon.social
2025-09-13T19:36:24Z
0 likes, 1 repeats
So, so tired of cop shows. I want a series about three generations of an activist family. The grandparents were part of the anti-war/civil rights movement in the 60s. One of their kids is a slightly conservative gay corporate lawyer, the other manages a community center, and her kid is a trans college activist who's angry all the time. Throw in friends (and enemies) for all three generations, and start filming.
(DIR) Post #AyPdFSlfClgzJsJllw by gvwilson@mastodon.social
2025-09-02T10:56:11Z
0 likes, 1 repeats
I don't know enough to write a paper called "Ten Bad Ideas in Online Safety" that explains (briefly, in terms that the general reader will understand) what's wrong with age verification, crypto back doors, and other plausible-but-awful proposals, but I would read it gratefully and share the hell out of it if it existed. (This toot prompted by reading some of PLOS's "quick tips" papers and thinking about the value of anti-tips, i.e., "here are landmines you don't need to step on".)
(DIR) Post #AyPdG8JQk842ATQob2 by gvwilson@mastodon.social
2025-09-20T20:37:59Z
0 likes, 1 repeats
I have now interviewed over a dozen people about shutting down research projects and software projects. All but two have been deliberate closures (long enough timescale to reflect and correct course while winding down). I would be grateful if people who have been through abrupt closure (little or no warning, very short timescale) would share their experiences. I'm gvwilson@third-bit.com and all interviews will be confidential. Thanks in advance - Greg
(DIR) Post #AySuv5b81PTAJhhkQ4 by gvwilson@mastodon.social
2025-09-22T13:08:06Z
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Happy Equinox
(DIR) Post #AyhxmbJ4mVeahWvn9s by gvwilson@mastodon.social
2025-09-28T22:36:48Z
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Ireland's basic income program for artists more than pays for itself: for every €1 of public money invested in the pilot, society received €1.39 in return. https://www.gov.ie/en/department-of-culture-communications-and-sport/press-releases/basic-income-for-the-arts-pilot-produced-over-100-million-in-social-and-economic-benefits/
(DIR) Post #Az0xs2xV5hRVuhftdA by gvwilson@mastodon.social
2025-10-07T16:54:47Z
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Just encountered a project whose issue labels are "denial", "anger", "bargaining", "depression", and "acceptance".
(DIR) Post #AzNGZfk0qamvIeR6kS by gvwilson@mastodon.social
2025-10-18T19:40:48Z
0 likes, 1 repeats
GoFundMe has created 1.4 million "donation pages" for nonprofits *without their consent and without any prior warning or contact*. You can go to https://www.gofundme.com/s?nonprofits= to check if they've done this to your 501(c)3. See https://abc7news.com/post/gofundme-created-14-million-donation-pages-nonprofits-bay-area-organizations-had-no-clue/18013410/ for more details and some utter disingenuous self-serving bullshit from GoFundMe.
(DIR) Post #AzcUuqnZLD7rXCe4mm by gvwilson@mastodon.social
2025-10-26T23:51:49Z
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OH: "My resume is a list of things I hope I never have to do again."
(DIR) Post #B0HdwwcJgdcifFgj3I by gvwilson@mastodon.social
2025-11-15T22:13:27Z
0 likes, 1 repeats
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/richard-falk-detained-cbsa-palestine-conference-9.6980514
(DIR) Post #B0JbYjYcmMNhcQD0U4 by gvwilson@mastodon.social
2025-02-04T12:11:54Z
1 likes, 1 repeats
In the late 90s and early 00s a _lot_ of open source projects were hosted on SourceForge. Then its parent company went bust and there was a very real chance SF would be shut down on short notice. Lots of talk in the wake of that about the need to build and use more resilient infrastructure, but along came GitHub and now we're in the same boat. 1/
(DIR) Post #B0Linqe6ASgiUrWN8a by gvwilson@mastodon.social
2025-11-17T18:13:49Z
1 likes, 1 repeats
True story: I once spent an afternoon scrolling through someone's Facebook account to find out when he had acquired each of his cats because he had named successive releases of a software package he maintained after the damn things in the order in which they joined his family and I needed to know whether Pickles came before Chocolate or vice versa.
(DIR) Post #B0M37ss5bIbYH4tdzs by gvwilson@mastodon.social
2025-11-18T01:27:07Z
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If you want Canada to be more competitive, enforce anti-trust rules: https://www.cbc.ca/news/gopublic/go-public-rogers-customer-service-issues-9.6977461
(DIR) Post #B0TqmFStXdrSSmtEtk by gvwilson@mastodon.social
2025-11-21T19:42:28Z
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My role at Plotly was part of a recent reduction in force, so I'm looking for something new. I would ideally like to work in education, developer experience, open source, or scientific computing, and I'm open to part-time, full-time, or contracting positions, either in Toronto or remote. There's more about me at https://third-bit.com/about/ - if you'd like to chat, please give me a shout.
(DIR) Post #B0rTuXbFee9FxmhSbI by gvwilson@mastodon.social
2025-03-08T22:24:56Z
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@jayalane thank you - what I'm after right now is worked-out plans I can learn from (preferably ones that people have actually implemented and corrected) - a detailed checklist amended by experience would be great as well.