Carl T. Bergstrom
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carlbergstrom.com
Carl T. Bergstrom
@carlbergstrom.com

Professor, UW Biology / Santa Fe Institute

I study how information flows in biology, science, and society.

Book: *Calling Bullshit*, http://tinyurl.com/fdcuvd7b

LLM course: https://thebullshitmachines.com

Corvids: https://tinyurl.com/mr2n5ymk

he/him .. more

Carl Theodore Bergstrom is a theoretical and evolutionary biologist and a professor at the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington, United States. Bergstrom is a critic of low-quality or misleading scientific research. He is the co-author of a book on misinformation called Calling Bullshit: The Art of Skepticism in a Data-Driven World and teaches a class by the same name at University of Washington. .. more

Biology 21%
Mathematics 20%
Pinned
Modern-Day Oracles or Bullshit Machines?

Jevin West (@jevinwest.bsky.social) and I have spent the last eight months developing the course on large language models (LLMs) that we think every college freshman needs to take.

thebullshitmachines.com
INTRODUCTION
thebullshitmachines.com

They're like cone shell, but make it birb.

(Shell photo from Britannica)

Thank you. It was rainy and very dark but always a pleasure to be outside with birds.
2018, Russia: "Fuck this, I'm not watching a World Cup in a fascist country. I'll just wait four years."

2022, Qatar: "Fuck this, I'm not watching a World Cup in a fascist country. I guess I'll wait another four years..."

2026: So I guess the joke is on me.

Such a delight to revisit www.reifelbirdsanctuary.com yesterday. 🪶

Reposted by Carl T. Bergstrom

What a good idea. 😁

(Also, if you want to order a signed copy of the book, you can get one from my local bookstore here. Just ask them to have me sign it (and personalize it, if you like) in the order comments and they'll take care of the rest. Signed books make great gifts…)
#booksky 📚🎁

It absolutely happens. I fell for a scam-like company when Google returned it as the top search for “renew US passport”.

Why? Because I was renewing my passport while on the phone and not paying much attention.

What’s really tragic is that some of my junior colleagues fell for it.

I really appreciate it. Unfortunately I am hung up in a meeting right now. Could you do me a big favor and pick up a couple of gift cards? No need to give me the original, just send me the number on the back…

Reposted by Judith Beyer

I just received notification from University IT warning us about phishing attacks that “seem too good to be true” and I can’t stop thinking about the scammer last year who wanted us to enter our credentials to register for our 5% annual cost-of-living raise.

“You’re prompting me wrong.”
BERMAN: Would it be legal for police in Arkansas to kill suspected drug dealers on a boat in a lake?

TOM COTTON: The premise of your question is not well-founded

BERMAN: The answer is no. It would not be legal to kill them.
BERMAN: Would it be legal for police in Arkansas to kill suspected drug dealers on a boat in a lake?

TOM COTTON: The premise of your question is not well-founded

BERMAN: The answer is no. It would not be legal to kill them.

At the waist, presumably.

Goddamn bro.
What kind of sick fuck could be opposed to eliminating prison rape?
BREAKING: Trump administration plans to end prison rape protections for trans & intersex people, memo says. A DOJ memo says certain standards under the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) do not align with Trump’s Jan. 20 anti-trans executive order, @byadamrhodes.bsky.social reports.
Trump administration plans to end prison rape protections for trans and intersex people
A Department of Justice memo says certain standards under the Prison Rape Elimination Act do not align with Trump’s executive order
prismreports.org

The spotted towhee is a glorious mega-sparrow. 🪶

I don't usually listen to audiobooks. I much prefer reading to listening.

But my former wife (and present best friend) recommended Benjamin Wood's reading of his 2025 novel _Seascraper_ so strongly that I gave it a try.

What a beautiful, atmospheric tale, especially in audiobook form.
Seascraper Audiobook on Libro.fm
Longlisted for the Booker Prize, this “cinematically plotted...radiant” (The New York Times) novel follows shanker Thomas Flett as his quiet life in a small English coastal town is forever changed ove...
libro.fm
BREAKING: Trump administration plans to end prison rape protections for trans & intersex people, memo says. A DOJ memo says certain standards under the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) do not align with Trump’s Jan. 20 anti-trans executive order, @byadamrhodes.bsky.social reports.
Trump administration plans to end prison rape protections for trans and intersex people
A Department of Justice memo says certain standards under the Prison Rape Elimination Act do not align with Trump’s executive order
prismreports.org
Holy shit.

Reuters reporting that new admin instructions on visas are if you worked at a platform in trust & safety or content moderation or on fact checking or online safety at an platform you *and your loved ones* are ineligible for H-1B visa.

www.reuters.com/world/us/tru...

This is how you write a headline

No and it’s fabulous!

I was so stressed!
This bird’s greed delights me

Which one of you is going to cast the first stone?
Palantir CEO Says Making War Crimes Constitutional Would Be Good for Business
Palantir CEO Says Making War Crimes Constitutional Would Be Good for Business
Alex Karp vows to use his "whole influence" on immigration and defense policy.
gizmodo.com

That's just hitting me now as I finish the package. Goddamn.

Vending machine down the hall here in Vancouver.

Canada, never change.

Yeah, that's very much my sense. And at my age I don't need to be pushing my limits.

Anyway your thread really resonated with me. I figure we get one go around and it's hard to put a price in dollars or in days on the things you've seen and experienced below the water.