Daniel Dvorkin @medigoth@qoto.org
Bioinformaticist / biostatistician, veteran USAF medic and Army infantryman, armchair paleontologist, occasional science fiction author, long-ago kickboxer, oldbat goth, vaccinated liberal patriot.
Joined Oct 2022
#Platner was hand-picked by #Sanders and enthusiastically supported by the #DSA. #Liberals by and large were cautious about him, and many pointed out early on that he had a lot of problematic history. Most liberals committed to supporting him once he secured the #Democratic nomination, because getting the #Senate out of #Republican hands is the most important goal. But we were also the first to say he should step down when the full story came out.
Nearly everyone who still supports him is a self-identified #leftist or #progressive, not a liberal, and will say so at length. Y'all don't get to rewrite history that we can remember from five minutes ago.
The conversation about Graham #Platner, and what #Maine #Democrats should do next, has reinforced my opinion that many #lefties have an absolutely #MAGA-level preference for style over substance.
This is a truly impressive level of courage.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/active-duty-air-force-major-214055598.html
I understand that some of my fellow vets may not share my admiration for Major Watson's action. Senator and retired Captain Mark Kelly has exactly the same free speech rights as any civilian, unless and until he's recalled to active duty. Maj. Watson, a currently serving officer, does not.
He is committing a crime specific to officers, speaking "contemptuous words" against the president. (Not that things would go much better for enlisted who did the same.) He will almost surely lose his commission and be dismissed from the service, possibly with prison time along the way. And I'm quite sure he knew this when he made that sign and went up those steps.
Most laws should be followed, most of the time. Some laws are unjust, and should be broken all the time. Some other laws are not unjust in and of themselves, but can be used as vehicles for injustice, and should be broken when they are. That last is clearly where we are now, and Maj. Watson is a hero—a word I don't use lightly—for recognizing and acting on it.
Sir, I salute you.
The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world that #TheExpanse was hard SF.
Seen in the wild: the #ReflectingPool liner was cut by Sealant Team Six.
When I first heard "the plural of #anecdote is not #data," I thought it was very clever, and repeated it endlessly. So did, and do, a bunch of other people.
The original form of that saying was "the plural of anecdote is data." It was meant to urge researchers not to dismiss rare or unexpected results as #outliers. Both "the plural of anecdote is data" and "the plural of anecdote is not data" can be true, depending on context.
Like other #science aphorisms which have entered popular culture, particularly those containing the phrase "is not," this is a constant annoyance. I know my complaints won't make them go away. But I hope I can at least get people thinking about them, rather than parroting them and feeling smug.
Just something that came up tangentially today. Now, back to sorting out the anecdotes. Cells are wordy little bastards.
Ever since the beginning of the internet, I've been waiting for an e-mail from Money. Today it finally arrived. If you need me, I'll be on my yacht.
"Okay sweetie, before we go back to the apartment, you either have to put your paw booties on, or put the cigarette out. Your choice."
Lawful good: capitalize genus, leave species lower-case.
Lawful evil: capitalize both genus and species.
Neutral evil: write both in all upper-case.
Chaotic evil: "tReX".
@evildrganymede About half the US, yeah.
@outer @adamgreenfield It's wise to take it slow. [solemn nod]
One of the copy-and-paste #antivax talking points is that #polio was caused by #DDT. For everyone repeating this vile lie:
My grandmother was a polio survivor. She caught the disease in childhood, before DDT was in use as a pesticide. When I was a small child, she could walk, sort of, with crutches. By the time I was in high school, she was wheelchair-bound, as she would be for the rest of her life.
Consider this an engraved, gold-plated, personally delivered invitation to go fuck yourselves.
@TerryHancock You might say it's a real dog's breakfast.
"You picked up the leash and said 'walkies!' Then you got distracted and I never had my walk. I'm sorry it's come to this, but I really have no choice."
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/may/26/dog-shotgun-nebraska-convenience-store
Bioinformaticist / biostatistician, veteran USAF medic and Army infantryman, armchair paleontologist, occasional science fiction author, long-ago kickboxer, oldbat goth, vaccinated liberal patriot.
Joined Oct 2022
