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Peter Jacobs

@pjacobs.bsky.social

3.6K followers 1.5K following 2.1K posts

climate science (paleo, modern, future); public understanding of science (consensus, conspiracy theories, pseudoscience) ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6951-7126 Mastodon: fediscience.org/@peterjacobs Bird Site: https://twitter.com/past_is_future .. more

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Environmental science 41%

Geology 16%

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Peter Jacobs @pjacobs.bsky.social · 10h

We're totes on the verge of AGI that will rocket society into a new golden age. But first! We're bringing back the stuff that had absolutely 0 utility but hooked mentally & emotionally disturbed people who used the product compulsively. And! We're going even more deliberately after the gooner crowd!

Sam Altman writes: We made ChatGPT pretty restrictive to make sure we were being careful with mental health issues. We realize this made it less useful/enjoyable to many users who had no mental health problems, but given the seriousness of the issue we wanted to get this right.

Now that we have been able to mitigate the serious mental health issues and have new tools, we are going to be able to safely relax the restrictions in most cases.

In a few weeks, we plan to put out a new version of ChatGPT that allows people to have a personality that behaves more like what people liked about 4o (we hope it will be better!). If you want your ChatGPT to respond in a very human-like way, or use a ton of emoji, or act like a friend, ChatGPT should do it (but only if you want it, not because we are usage-maxxing).

In December, as we roll out age-gating more fully and as part of our “treat adult users like adults” principle, we will allow even more, like erotica for verified adults.

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Peter Jacobs @pjacobs.bsky.social · 1d

They're saying no one has ever been so Divorced in the history of humankind.

Elon Musk posting "Just type 'add a girlfriend' to any video on the new Grok imagine."

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Reposted by Peter Jacobs

Kathleen Bachynski @bachynski.bsky.social · 1d

“Multiple officials told STAT that staff have been asked to identify links between SSRIs, violent behavior, and other adverse events. Kennedy is highly skeptical of SSRIs, calling them harder to quit than heroin, and has falsely linked them to mass shootings.”

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Reposted by Daniel Aaron, Rebecca Tushnet, David Darmofal , and 1 more Daniel Aaron, Rebecca Tushnet, David Darmofal, Peter Jacobs

Kathleen Bachynski @bachynski.bsky.social · 1d

Reshma Ramachandran “said the sequence of events is the antithesis of how the FDA is supposed to function.

“What we’re seeing here is, ‘We believe this and we’re going to find the evidence to support that’ …That’s just inherently wrong in terms of how a scientific agency like the FDA operates.”

Inside FDA, career staffers describe how political pressure is influencing their work

Current and former FDA staff said the level of involvement of political officials in nitty-gritty regulatory matters is unprecedented.

www.statnews.com

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Peter Jacobs @pjacobs.bsky.social · 1d

Not really what you're going for here which sounds great, but perhaps somewhere in an adjacent neighborhood, looking forward to the planned revised version of CRASH//CART in the near future
nightjargames.itch.io/crashcart

CRASH//CART by Galen Pejeau

A Forged in the Dark TTRPG of near future paramedics

nightjargames.itch.io

Reposted by Peter Jacobs

ProPublica @propublica.org · 1d

Along with fast-tracking FEMA funds for the Naples pier, Noem flew to the Florida city on a government plane to tour the site, then stayed for the weekend and had dinner with the donor, according to emails and an interview with the Naples mayor.

(Published September)

Kristi Noem Fast-Tracked Millions in Disaster Aid to Florida Tourist Attraction After Campaign Donor Intervened

The DHS chief has been widely criticized for slowing down FEMA’s response after natural disasters. Texts and emails obtained by ProPublica point to an effective way to get help faster: have one of Noe...

www.propublica.org

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Peter Jacobs @pjacobs.bsky.social · 4d

Who could have foreseen this? Other than... everybody?

bsky.app/profile/pjac...

Peter Jacobs @pjacobs.bsky.social · Jan 19

The mass deportations will reorient domestic law enforcement while the slow motion destruction of NATO and the emboldening of Russia plays out internationally. This is all being openly planned.

Bloomberg News @bloomberg.com · Jan 18

Trump has vowed to ultimately deport every foreigner living in the US without permission. Here's what to know about his plan.

Peter Jacobs @pjacobs.bsky.social · 4d

The number is closer to half at major field offices.

The Washington Post @washingtonpost.com · 6d

Breaking news: Nearly a quarter of FBI agents across the country are currently reassigned to immigration enforcement.

The large number of reassignments reflect a vast reshaping of the agency and could put other priorities at risk.

A quarter of FBI agents are assigned to immigration enforcement, per FBI data

Nearly a quarter of FBI agents are currently reassigned to immigration enforcement, with the number climbing above 40 percent in the bureau’s largest field offices.

wapo.st

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Reposted by Peter Jacobs

The Marshall Project @themarshallproject.org · 5d

In May, the FBI ordered its agents to scale back investigations of white-collar crime and focus on immigration instead.
FBI agents on the city’s domestic terrorism squad were investigating online child predators when they were ordered to work full-time on immigration enforcement, MSNBC reported.

For Trump Administration, Fighting Crime Takes a Backseat to Immigration Arrests

“It’s a good time to be an American-born criminal,” said one expert, as ICE’s dragnet now includes thousands of agents from other federal law enforcement.

www.themarshallproject.org

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Reposted by Peter Jacobs

Ferwen @ferwen.bsky.social · 5d

Stratigraphic and anatomical evidence for multiple titanosaurid dinosaur taxa in the Late Cretaceous (Campanian-Maastrichtian) of southwestern North America ⚒️🧪🦕

giw.utahgeology.org/giw/index.ph...

Stratigraphic and anatomical evidence for multiple titanosaurid dinosaur taxa in the Late Cretaceous (Campanian-Maastrichtian) of southwestern North America | Geology of the Intermountain We...

giw.utahgeology.org

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Reposted by Peter Jacobs

Howard Lee @hlee.bsky.social · 6d

"We propose that the δ13Corg compositions of shallow and deeper waters were controlled by specific microbial communities in a redox-stratified water column & a larger deep-ocean DOC reservoir, whereas δ13Ccarb sensitivity was buffered by a large DIC reservoir" ⚒️
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

High-resolution chemostratigraphy reveals a large δ13C gradient in the ∼ 1.56 Ga redox-stratified ocean

Reports of decimeter-scale eukaryotic fossils and oxygenation events in the Gaoyuzhuang Formation (∼1.56 Ga, North China Craton) have provided valuabl…

www.sciencedirect.com

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Reposted by Joe R. Feagin, Brian Weatherson, Nathan P. Kalmoe , and 1 more Joe R. Feagin, Brian Weatherson, Nathan P. Kalmoe, Peter Jacobs

Jonathan Cohn @jonathancohn.bsky.social · 6d

REI is closing unionized stores. So many companies that like to pretend to be progressive remain still virulently anti-union at their core. www.bostonglobe.com/2025/10/08/b...

REI Co-Op’s Boston location is set to close next year - The Boston Globe

REI said it will close three locations on the East Coast, including a store in Boston, as it launches a new strategic plan.

www.bostonglobe.com

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Reposted by Peter Jacobs

Christopher Mims @mims.bsky.social · 6d

There is so much in this WSJ piece on what Trump has done / plans to do with the Justice Dept it's impossible to sum it up, but:

* Indictments planned for a half dozen current / former officials Trump dislikes

* So many have resigned from that whole sections are gutted

www.wsj.com/politics/pol...

Inside the Justice Department Where the President Calls the Shots

The president has executed a wholesale transformation of the Justice Department, taking control in ways he could have only dreamed of in his first term.

www.wsj.com

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Reposted by Rosemary A. Joyce, Peter Jacobs

The Washington Post @washingtonpost.com · 6d

A quarter of FBI agents are assigned to immigration enforcement, per FBI data

Nearly a quarter of FBI agents are currently reassigned to immigration enforcement, with the number climbing above 40 percent in the bureau’s largest field offices.

wapo.st

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Reposted by Michael D. McDonald, Peter Jacobs

Anna Clark @annaleighclark.bsky.social · 6d

"Asked what percentage of children she imagines should be in public schools going forward, Justice told ProPublica: 'I hope zero. I hope to get to zero.'”

by @megomatz.bsky.social / @jsmithrichards.bsky.social

These Activists Want to Dismantle Public Schools. Now They Run the Education Department.

Under Trump, the Department of Education has been bringing in activists hostile to public schools. It could mean a new era of private and religious schools boosted by tax dollars — and the end of publ...

www.propublica.org

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Reposted by Michael D. McDonald, Matthew P. McAllister, Nicole Guenther Discenza , and 2 more Michael D. McDonald, Matthew P. McAllister, Nicole Guenther Discenza, David Darmofal, Peter Jacobs

Dave Jorgenson @davejorgenson.bsky.social · 7d

The Post laid off seemingly the remaining of their liberal-leaning staff members on Opinion last Thursday, when some of them were observing Yom Kippur.

from @oliverdarcy.bsky.social for Status
status.news/p/washington-post-opinion-cuts-adam-oneal

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Peter Jacobs @pjacobs.bsky.social · 8d

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Mike Walker @newnarrative.bsky.social · 8d

CNN: Classified Justice Department opinion authorizes strikes on secret list of cartels, sources say

www.cnn.com/2025/10/06/p...

Exclusive: Classified Justice Department opinion authorizes strikes on secret list of cartels, sources say | CNN Politics

The Trump administration has produced a classified legal opinion that justifies lethal strikes against a secret and expansive list of cartels and suspected drug traffickers, according to multiple peop...

www.cnn.com

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Peter Jacobs @pjacobs.bsky.social · 8d

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Luca Trenta @lucatrenta.bsky.social · 8d

One for the intelligence accountability crowd. ‘C.I.A. Deputy Director Has Replaced Agency’s Top Legal Official With Himself.’ www.nytimes.com/2025/10/06/u...

C.I.A. Deputy Director Has Replaced Agency’s Top Legal Official With Himself

www.nytimes.com

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Peter Jacobs @pjacobs.bsky.social · 8d

xcancel.com/RepCarlos/st...

Saves people the trouble of waiting for a journalist getting added to the Principals Committee group chat or a photog snapping pics of someone's phone.

Peter Jacobs @pjacobs.bsky.social · 8d

Hope some enterprising journalist or historian is archiving all of the public posting Gimenez has been doing in advance of the coming infrastructure strikes on / renditions in Caracas.

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Reposted by Peter Jacobs

AFP News Agency @en.afp.com · 8d

President Nicolas Maduro says Venezuela foiled a false flag operation by what he called local terrorists to plant explosives at the US embassy in Caracas and exacerbate a dispute between the two countries over drug trafficking

u.afp.com/SmfL

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Reposted by Peter Jacobs

Mike Walker @newnarrative.bsky.social · 8d

CNN: Classified Justice Department opinion authorizes strikes on secret list of cartels, sources say

www.cnn.com/2025/10/06/p...

Exclusive: Classified Justice Department opinion authorizes strikes on secret list of cartels, sources say | CNN Politics

www.cnn.com

Reposted by Peter Jacobs

Reuters @reuters.com · 8d

Trump calls off diplomatic outreach to Venezuela, New York Times reports reut.rs/3VSkflO

Trump calls off diplomatic outreach to Venezuela, New York Times reports

U.S. President Donald Trump has called off efforts to reach a diplomatic agreement with Venezuela and told his special envoy Richard Grenell to stop all outreach, the New York Times reported on Monday, citing officials.

reut.rs

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Reposted by Anne Applebaum, Anna O. Law, James Q. Wilson , and 33 more Anne Applebaum, Anna O. Law, James Q. Wilson, Nandita Sharma, John F. McCarthy, Brendan Nyhan, Tom Clark, Steve Peers, Robert W. Wallace, Joseph Schafer, Paul Goldstein, Daniel W. Drezner, Robert C. Richards, Melanie C. Green, Rebecca Tushnet, Alan Richardson, Aaron Sojourner, Gerald Friedman, Stacy D. VanDeveer, Robert B. Reich, Michael D. McDonald, David Rosnick, Michael Jones‐Correa, Mark Rice, Greg Linden, Blair Fix, Daxton R. Stewart, Rebecca Zorach, Nicole Guenther Discenza, Magda Teter, Kate Jackson, Olúfẹ́mi Táíwò, Nathan P. Kalmoe, Annalee Newitz, Dunlap, Peter Jacobs

Chicago Sun-Times @chicago.suntimes.com · 8d

Body-camera video appears to contradict the government’s claim that Marimar Martinez, 30, drove toward officers before one of them opened fire at her late Saturday morning in Brighton Park, her attorney claimed.
trib.al/9Sxu9IN

Attorney for woman shot by Border Patrol claims officer said 'Do something b-----' before shooting

Body-camera video appears to contradict the government's claim that Marimar Martinez, 30, drove toward officers before one of them opened fire at her late Saturday morning in Brighton Park, her attorney claimed. A judge ordered Martinez and a co-defendant released pending trial.

trib.al

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Reposted by Peter Jacobs

Luca Trenta @lucatrenta.bsky.social · 8d

One for the intelligence accountability crowd. ‘C.I.A. Deputy Director Has Replaced Agency’s Top Legal Official With Himself.’ www.nytimes.com/2025/10/06/u...

C.I.A. Deputy Director Has Replaced Agency’s Top Legal Official With Himself

www.nytimes.com

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Reposted by Elizabeth Saunders, Brendan Nyhan, Silvia Secchi , and 1 more Elizabeth Saunders, Brendan Nyhan, Silvia Secchi, Peter Jacobs

Charlie Savage @charliesavage.bsky.social · 8d

C.I.A. Deputy Director Has Replaced Agency’s Top Legal Official With Himself

It is not clear what is behind the move by Michael Ellis, a Trump loyalist. A legal ethics specialist said it could raise conflict-of-interest issues.

www.nytimes.com/2025/10/06/u...

C.I.A. Deputy Director Has Replaced Agency’s Top Legal Official With Himself

www.nytimes.com

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Reposted by Peter Jacobs

Callan Bentley @callanbentley.bsky.social · 8d

We have some fun speakers & activities coming up this month in Geology Club! ⚒️

Flyer for Kelly Weinersmith's talk "A City on Mars: Can We Settle Space, Should We Settle Space, and Have we Really Thought This Through?" Wed. Oct. 8, 12:45pm

Flyer for Activity Day, featuring games like Quartetnary, new lab samples, and socializing. Wed. Oct. 15, 12:45pm

Flyer for Edith Rojas's talk "Volcanic Eruptions that Changed the World" Wed. Oct. 22, 12:45pm

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Reposted by Peter Jacobs

National Hurricane Center - Atlantic Alerts (UNOFFICIAL) @nhc-atlc.nws-bot.us · 8d

NHC Atlantic Outlook update for Mon, 06 Oct 2025 17:27:57 UTC
Additional Details Here.

ZCZC MIATWOAT ALL<br>TTAA00 KNHC DDHHMM<br><br>Tropical Weather Outlook<br>NWS National Hurricane Center Miami FL<br>200 PM EDT Mon Oct 6 2025<br><br>For the North Atlantic...Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of America:<br><br>1. Central Tropical Atlantic (AL95):<br>Visible satellite images indicate that the area of low pressure <br>located over the tropical central Atlantic is gradually becoming <br>better organized. Environmental conditions appear generally <br>conducive for slow development of this system, and a tropical <br>depression is likely to form within the next couple of days while <br>it moves quickly west-northwestward across the central tropical <br>Atlantic. This system is expected to be near or north of the <br>northern Leeward Islands on Thursday and Friday, and interests there <br>should monitor its progress. <br>* Formation chance through 48 hours...high...70 percent.<br>* Formation chance through 7 days...high...80 percent.<br><br>2. Northwestern Caribbean and Southwestern Gulf:<br>A trough of low pressure located over the northwestern Caribbean <br>Sea is producing a large area of disorganized showers and <br>thunderstorms. This system is expected to move across the Yucatan <br>Peninsula tonight and early Tuesday, and then track over the Bay of <br>Campeche late Tuesday through Wednesday. Some slow development of <br>this system is possible over the Bay of Campeche around the middle <br>of the week. Regardless of development, areas of heavy rain and <br>gusty winds are likely across portions of the Yucatan Peninsula, <br>Belize, and southern Mexico during the next few days.<br>* Formation chance through 48 hours...low...10 percent.<br>* Formation chance through 7 days...low...10 percent.<br><br><br><br>Forecaster Cangialosi<br><br><br>

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Peter Jacobs @pjacobs.bsky.social · 9d

www.france24.com/en/live-news...

Swedes stock up on food as fears of war deepen

Swedes are stocking up on food items in case of war, as more conflict in Europe no longer feels like a distant possibility and authorities encourage measures to boost readiness.

www.france24.com

Reposted by Nathan Richardson, Peter Jacobs

Daniel Drezner @dandrezner.bsky.social · 9d

That the @washingtonpost.com can’t keep @crampell.bsky.social around is damning. Anyone familiar with Rampell’s work would know that it would be compatible with WaPo’s intended editorial direction. But she didn’t want to be compromised. Good for her. www.semafor.com/article/10/0...

Washington Post economics columnist moves to The Bulwark

Catherine Rampell will write a weekly economics and policy-focused newsletter for the anti-Trump media brand.

www.semafor.com

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