James Webber
@ja.meswebber.com
A fairly irate scientist. He/him
Truly wild to frame "agricultural runoff causes cancer" as a data center problem. Agribiz in Oregon is *currently* lobbying to avoid reporting their nitrate usage!
Kinda makes me want to believe the @segyges.bsky.social "AI water usage was a WaPo op" theory
Kinda makes me want to believe the @segyges.bsky.social "AI water usage was a WaPo op" theory
December 1, 2025 at 4:46 PM
Truly wild to frame "agricultural runoff causes cancer" as a data center problem. Agribiz in Oregon is *currently* lobbying to avoid reporting their nitrate usage!
Kinda makes me want to believe the @segyges.bsky.social "AI water usage was a WaPo op" theory
Kinda makes me want to believe the @segyges.bsky.social "AI water usage was a WaPo op" theory
Reposted by James Webber
I named my fists "Dunning" and "Kruger" because I haven't trained in any sort of martial art but am confident I would do pretty well.
I named my fists Chekhov and Gun because you know they're coming but you don't know when
i named my fists Rodgers and Hammerstein cuz theyre always in my own little corner
December 1, 2025 at 2:34 AM
I named my fists "Dunning" and "Kruger" because I haven't trained in any sort of martial art but am confident I would do pretty well.
yeah I'm an Orthodox Scientist, I celebrate the traditional holidays like "Flushot"
Breaking News: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said he personally instructed the CDC to abandon its position that vaccines do not cause autism. The move underscores his determination to challenge scientific orthodoxy — in this case, that vaccines save lives — and bend the health department to his will.
RFK Jr. Says He Instructed CDC to Change Vaccines and Autism Language on Website
In an interview, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. cited gaps in vaccine safety research. His critics say he is ignoring a larger point: Vaccines save lives.
nyti.ms
November 21, 2025 at 7:30 PM
yeah I'm an Orthodox Scientist, I celebrate the traditional holidays like "Flushot"
Based on my experience in an online politics forum in the 2010s: some of the most tiresome people in the world are going to hate this
This is quite interesting as it ends the CTC and EITC and creates a big child allowance (5600/y), a 2k baby bonus and a 3k/y UBI for adults 19-67. The Policy Engine (CC: @maxghenis.bsky.social )folks did an analysis of the net impacts...
www.peoplespolicyproject.org/2025/11/20/r...
www.peoplespolicyproject.org/2025/11/20/r...
Rep. Tlaib’s Economic Dignity for All Agenda Would Bring Economic Security for Millions
The agenda would lower poverty by 42% and child poverty by two-thirds.
www.peoplespolicyproject.org
November 21, 2025 at 4:37 PM
Based on my experience in an online politics forum in the 2010s: some of the most tiresome people in the world are going to hate this
the only thing keeping half this country together is our collective anticipation for this party
Oh my. Hear me out...I think that he's had some significantly bad medical news from his doctors and he still has enough cognitive function that it clicked. Trump is so narcissistic that he views the entire world as an extension of himself. He is the only significant person in his universe.
Trump: "If we die, we must die and we as men we die without complaining."
November 11, 2025 at 5:45 PM
the only thing keeping half this country together is our collective anticipation for this party
Reposted by James Webber
soon may the wellerman come
your brain gets smart but your head gets dumb
so much to do, so much to see
to bring us sugar and rum and tea
we'll take our leave and go
you'll never shine if you don't glow
your brain gets smart but your head gets dumb
so much to do, so much to see
to bring us sugar and rum and tea
we'll take our leave and go
you'll never shine if you don't glow
November 11, 2025 at 3:19 PM
soon may the wellerman come
your brain gets smart but your head gets dumb
so much to do, so much to see
to bring us sugar and rum and tea
we'll take our leave and go
you'll never shine if you don't glow
your brain gets smart but your head gets dumb
so much to do, so much to see
to bring us sugar and rum and tea
we'll take our leave and go
you'll never shine if you don't glow
Oh yeah, I remember when this article came out, and was widely ridiculed for somehow claiming *both* that Franklin was not mistreated ("no victim"!) *and* that she was an equal contributor to the discovery but received almost no credit for it at the time.
If you believe either that Franklin discovered the double helix, and / or Watson and Crick stole her data, ask yourself how you know this. Then take a read of this article.
If I see one more stupid Rosalind Franklin take I'm going to lose my mind. Thank god for @matthewcobb.bsky.social and @nccomfort.bsky.social. www.nature.com/articles/d41...
November 9, 2025 at 4:50 PM
Oh yeah, I remember when this article came out, and was widely ridiculed for somehow claiming *both* that Franklin was not mistreated ("no victim"!) *and* that she was an equal contributor to the discovery but received almost no credit for it at the time.
Hastily modifying my diploma to say "Oornell"
November 7, 2025 at 6:09 PM
Hastily modifying my diploma to say "Oornell"
"Democrats swung economy-focused voters by 93 points" is simultaneously great and kinda depressing...
November 5, 2025 at 2:51 PM
"Democrats swung economy-focused voters by 93 points" is simultaneously great and kinda depressing...
Reposted by James Webber
this is an obvious overcorrection that misleads the polling data and will lead to disaster in the Heartland. the results of tonight show that the Democrats should moderate: adopting two or at most three of the five pillars of Islam
if democrats are serious about winning they need to learn from tonight and convert to islam
November 5, 2025 at 3:00 AM
this is an obvious overcorrection that misleads the polling data and will lead to disaster in the Heartland. the results of tonight show that the Democrats should moderate: adopting two or at most three of the five pillars of Islam
Reposted by James Webber
Lyft driver immediately switched from his music to a sort of millennial pop he assumed I'd like and he's right but I feel a little called out
October 25, 2025 at 12:09 AM
Lyft driver immediately switched from his music to a sort of millennial pop he assumed I'd like and he's right but I feel a little called out
Reposted by James Webber
i like that we know the ICE fitness standards now because now we all know exactly how fast we need to be able to run to be just slightly faster than any given ICE agent. a useable training goal
October 23, 2025 at 2:56 PM
i like that we know the ICE fitness standards now because now we all know exactly how fast we need to be able to run to be just slightly faster than any given ICE agent. a useable training goal
Reposted by James Webber
I wrote about the degrading choices our political system forces on us, the importance of respecting yourself, and the time I experienced a mild Oliver Stone moment at Sammy's Deluxe in Rockland, Maine. defector.com/what-job-is-...
What Job Is A Guy With A Nazi Tattoo Qualified For? | Defector
The man that my wife and I found ourselves talking to at the bar of a restaurant in Rockland, Me. in the summer of 2019 had arrived in town as your fancier visitors do, which is by boat. He told us th...
defector.com
October 22, 2025 at 3:36 PM
I wrote about the degrading choices our political system forces on us, the importance of respecting yourself, and the time I experienced a mild Oliver Stone moment at Sammy's Deluxe in Rockland, Maine. defector.com/what-job-is-...
Lifehack: if you're a leftist populist but you're worried that your nazi tattoo and history of vile reddit posts might derail your candidacy, try running in the *Republican* primary. They'll immediately circle the wagons and never examine your actual politics! Win-win
October 21, 2025 at 11:44 PM
Lifehack: if you're a leftist populist but you're worried that your nazi tattoo and history of vile reddit posts might derail your candidacy, try running in the *Republican* primary. They'll immediately circle the wagons and never examine your actual politics! Win-win
note: you have to wait a little bit before sending this to people who aren't terminally online.
This is actually a perfect meme.
Send this to anyone, at any time, for any reason!
Send this to anyone, at any time, for any reason!
October 21, 2025 at 12:56 AM
note: you have to wait a little bit before sending this to people who aren't terminally online.
Squashing rumors at work by responding to "how was your weekend" by asserting that I definitely *wasn't* in Paris
October 20, 2025 at 2:23 PM
Squashing rumors at work by responding to "how was your weekend" by asserting that I definitely *wasn't* in Paris
free thoughtpiece: by embracing AI slop and attaching it to his putrid brand, Trump is actually helping reduce carbon emissions in the long run
October 19, 2025 at 10:01 PM
free thoughtpiece: by embracing AI slop and attaching it to his putrid brand, Trump is actually helping reduce carbon emissions in the long run
"New York hotels have an infinite number of rooms, but they are all occupied. The set of all parades that do not parade themselves is in town, and the participants must be accommodated. Mr. Mamdani, do you have a solution for this problem?"
saw this clip of the NYC mayor debate and i had tears in my eyes, perhaps the most insane section of any debate ever
October 17, 2025 at 3:31 PM
"New York hotels have an infinite number of rooms, but they are all occupied. The set of all parades that do not parade themselves is in town, and the participants must be accommodated. Mr. Mamdani, do you have a solution for this problem?"
Reposted by James Webber
the president of the united states wants to use the american military to kill american citizens on american soil. that's the whole story!
September 30, 2025 at 2:43 PM
the president of the united states wants to use the american military to kill american citizens on american soil. that's the whole story!
It's hard to even envision how the next iteration of America might earn back the reputation they are so intent to destroy
Immigrants, particularly on H1Bs, are the lifeblood of American innovation. If you wanted to hurt US competitiveness in the next century, I can think of few more effective ways than a move like this
Even when found illegal, the mere intent will have irreparably harmed our future
Even when found illegal, the mere intent will have irreparably harmed our future
September 20, 2025 at 5:37 PM
It's hard to even envision how the next iteration of America might earn back the reputation they are so intent to destroy
a good reminder to every university: fight instead of rolling over (again)
We haven’t seen the text of this yet, but to be clear, the president has literally zero legal authority to impose a $100,000 fee on visas. None. Zip. Zilch.
The only authority Congress has ever given the executive branch here is to charge fees to recover the cost of processing the application.
The only authority Congress has ever given the executive branch here is to charge fees to recover the cost of processing the application.
Trump signs an EO on H-1Bs raising "the fee that companies pay to sponsor H1-B applicants to $100,000"
September 20, 2025 at 3:34 PM
a good reminder to every university: fight instead of rolling over (again)
Reposted by James Webber
trump does not have the capacity to investigate, much less prosecute, even 0.1% of the people who attend no kings protests. you absolutely should call this bluff
September 18, 2025 at 5:02 PM
trump does not have the capacity to investigate, much less prosecute, even 0.1% of the people who attend no kings protests. you absolutely should call this bluff
As it happens "live here with each other" is pretty explicitly not part of their plan
"All I can say for me in the work I do is that I want to create a space that takes our disagreements seriously, that takes the stakes of them seriously, the consequences for people seriously, but does so without deepening our divisions irreparably. We are going to have to live here with each other"
September 17, 2025 at 8:50 PM
As it happens "live here with each other" is pretty explicitly not part of their plan
Posting right now is a real Kobayashi Maru situation, huh
September 10, 2025 at 9:31 PM
Posting right now is a real Kobayashi Maru situation, huh