Author | Lightnews

John B. Roberts @pencoyd.bsky.social · 1d

"Perilous to us all are the devices of an art deeper than we possess ourselves."

Topical, despite original publication date of 1954 for The Two Towers, with Gandalf commenting on the Palantir... thank you, J.R.R. Tolkien.

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John B. Roberts @pencoyd.bsky.social · 1d

frankchimero.com/blog/2025/se...

"What makes the Market for Lemons concept so appealing (and what differentiates it in my mind from enshittification) is that everyone can be acting reasonably, pursuing their own interests, and things still get worse for everyone."

Frank Chimero · Selling Lemons

Frank Chimero’s Personal Website

frankchimero.com

John B. Roberts @pencoyd.bsky.social · 1d

surfingcomplexity.blog/2025/10/08/t...

"But you neglect at your peril the engineers who are working nine-to-five days at boring companies."

The illegible nature of software development talent

Here’s another blog post on gathering some common threads from reading recent posts. Today’s topic is about the unassuming nature of talented software engineers. The first thread was a …

surfingcomplexity.blog

Reposted by John B. Roberts

Mike Masnick @mmasnick.bsky.social · 9d

I'm not exactly sure Elon is the guy I'd want to take advice from regarding "the war on drugs" in San Francisco.

On the Campaign Trail, Elon Musk Juggled Drugs and Family Drama
As Mr. Musk entered President Trump’s orbit, his private life grew increasingly tumultuous and his drug use was more intense than previously known.

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John B. Roberts @pencoyd.bsky.social · 12d

"The reason I spend so much time writing it down is that I don’t want to explain it to you face-to-face."

randsinrepose.com/archives/one...

One Compliment

An idea just comes to me. I've been writing for a long time, so the ideas come partially formed. Not written but formed into the beginnings of a familiar shape. It is critical in the next hour that I ...

randsinrepose.com

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John B. Roberts @pencoyd.bsky.social · 13d

Nuanced proposal on how to reduce costs over time for public transit buses in the US. Rich with data, acknowledges reality (political and otherwise), but still offers ideas for improvement.

(PDF) www.brookings.edu/wp-content/u...

www.brookings.edu

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John B. Roberts @pencoyd.bsky.social · 19d

Another excellent exhibition at SFO. #GiveMeARing @sfomuseum.bsky.social

Post on display in Give Me a Ring exhibition at SFO, Terminal 2. "Your voice gets you there."

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Reposted by John B. Roberts

Elizabeth Warren @warren.senate.gov · 24d

FDA approved the abortion pill mifepristone 25 years ago.

So why is RFK Jr. raising questions about it now? He's trying to roll back abortion access nationwide.

I'll keep fighting against attempts to restrict access—because medication abortion is safe and effective. Period.

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John B. Roberts @pencoyd.bsky.social · 23d

Watched this in snippets over the past few weeks. Enjoyed it!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=GfH4...

Python: The Documentary | An origin story

YouTube video by CultRepo

www.youtube.com

John B. Roberts @pencoyd.bsky.social · Sep 16

When humans celebrate their competition: heartening

youtu.be/0xvHfXD2FcA?...

(Oh, and watch the world record be broken, again.)

Sam Kendricks Reacts to Mondo Duplantis' 6.30m Pole Vault World Record at Tokyo World Championships

YouTube video by CITIUS MAG

youtu.be

John B. Roberts @pencoyd.bsky.social · Sep 15

randsinrepose.com/archives/che...

"I find great comfort in the written word. It gives me satisfaction to translate the mess in my head into occasional helpful words and phrases." Amen. Unfortunately, not everyone wants to read, or receives the same message from identical words.

Check Your Context

I didn't much like Wally from the first time I met him. We worked in the same circles, but not on the same projects. I was aware of his work, but not involved or dependent on it. My initial reaction t...

randsinrepose.com

Reposted by John B. Roberts

James Fallows @jfallows.bsky.social · Sep 14

Let's say it again:

1) Harvard said "No," and Trump has backed off.

2) Chicago (and Illinois) said "No," and Trump has backed off.

It's day by day. But those who said "OK, sure," have gained nothing at all. Except shame.

Carl Quintanilla @carlquintanilla.bsky.social · Sep 13

(CNN) - President Donald Trump shelved his plans to target Chicago as the next city for his domestic crime push after advisers warned him that sending in troops .. could create legal headaches they want to avoid, sources familiar with the matter told CNN.

@cnn.com
www.cnn.com/2025/09/12/p...

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John B. Roberts @pencoyd.bsky.social · Sep 5

Science isn't stopping, fortunately. I can imagine negative uses of this tech but the positives are immense for health monitoring.

news.ucsc.edu/2025/09/puls...

Via @davepell.bsky.social

WiFi signals can measure heart rate—no wearables needed

Engineers prove their technique is effective even with the lowest-cost WiFi devices

news.ucsc.edu

John B. Roberts @pencoyd.bsky.social · Aug 25

I know little about making music, but exploring any song from The Police gets me. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/s...

"Every Little Thing She Does I… - Strong Songs - Apple Podcasts

Podcast Episode · Strong Songs · 06/13/2025 · 1h

podcasts.apple.com

Reposted by John B. Roberts

David Roberts @volts.wtf · Aug 23

Another possible explanation: millions of dumb, selfish people were deliberately lied to by a billionaire-funded right-wing propaganda apparatus with the explicit goal of enraging them & hurting the Dem administration.

Dumb, selfish people believed lies. Doesn't that ring a little more true?

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Reposted by John B. Roberts

Clint Smith @clintsmithiii.bsky.social · Aug 22

I debated writing this. It can feel tempting, upon encountering yet another instance of this administration’s racism, to let it be. How many ways can you say the same thing over and over again? And yet we have to write it down, if for nothing else, so those who come after us know we were against it.

Actually, Slavery Was Very Bad

The president’s latest criticism of museums is a thinly veiled attempt to erase Black history.

www.theatlantic.com

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Reposted by John B. Roberts

James Fallows @jfallows.bsky.social · Aug 22

This is very, very powerful. Please read.

Link here: dbarkhuff.substack.com/p/i-should-b...

Zack Beauchamp @zackbeauchamp.bsky.social · Aug 22

A veteran US Navy SEAL reflects on Gaza dbarkhuff.substack.com/p/i-should-b...

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John B. Roberts @pencoyd.bsky.social · Aug 15

"As a leader, I am surprised to find that improving my core skills in communication, setting expectations, and planning benefits both the robots and the humans."

randsinrepose.com/archives/eve... another one linked by @rianvdm.com (thank you), written by @rands.bsky.social

Every Single Human. Like. Always.

Your robot experience started simple. You typed a question into a chatbot… just to see. Can it answer that question? I'd be impressed if it did. Your query was simple. A simple knowledge question tha...

randsinrepose.com

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John B. Roberts @pencoyd.bsky.social · Aug 15

"You stop talking to be right and start talking to be useful."

theproductleaderinsider.substack.com/p/the-game-y... via @rianvdm.com

The game you’ve never heard of that taught me a better way to build alignment

Stop playing to win and start playing to rally!

theproductleaderinsider.substack.com

John B. Roberts @pencoyd.bsky.social · Aug 14

Concrete Brunette

John B. Roberts @pencoyd.bsky.social · Aug 14

Fine Young Vegetarians

Reposted by John B. Roberts

James Fallows @jfallows.bsky.social · Aug 11

Thread worth reading.

(Meta-point: Why oh why oh WHY do our leading media outlets frame these issues as if they were just another chapter in a political-tactics almanac.)

Larry Glickman @larryglickman.bsky.social · Aug 11

It is genuinely shocking how little Trump's attack on universities relies on law and policy. Even this profile of May Mailman, a Harvard-trained lawyer, who is active in the Trump administration's plan to transform higher education, barely mentions legal predicates.
www.nytimes.com/2025/08/11/u...

The Harvard-Trained Lawyer Behind Trump’s Fight Against Top Universities

www.nytimes.com

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John B. Roberts @pencoyd.bsky.social · Jul 27

Was it William Gibson (Neuromancer) or Neal Stephenson (Snow Crash) who reminded readers that their seminal cyberpunk novels were NOT manuals?

@pkrugman.bsky.social and @himself.bsky.social mention the power and (mis)direction of those fantastic stories.

paulkrugman.substack.com/p/talking-wi...