Paul Konstant
@progpk.bsky.social
Retired scientist/ technologist. Diverse interests, few of them mainstream, fewer overlap. I like to follow specialists. Rational, romantic, mystic, cynical, idealist. He/him.
📍València, España
📍València, España
Pinned
Paul Konstant
@progpk.bsky.social
· Nov 10
New folks on Bluesky, I *beg* you to fill out your profiles with enough info we can tell you're a real person.
I get dozens of new followers a day. At least half are scams and bots.
If your avatar isn't personalized, you never post, but follow thousands, you're getting blocked.
I get dozens of new followers a day. At least half are scams and bots.
If your avatar isn't personalized, you never post, but follow thousands, you're getting blocked.
"You're technically illegal, but it's our fault. So we're going to punish you now!" - the US govt
If you are married to a US spouse, your temporary visa (usually for 3 months) will lapse before your case is processed. The government allowed you could stay in the US while awaiting case processing. Now the Trump admin is saying that is a visa overstay and arresting the spouses.
November 30, 2025 at 10:27 PM
"You're technically illegal, but it's our fault. So we're going to punish you now!" - the US govt
Reposted by Paul Konstant
Lol, Zillow tried to rate the climate risks facing individual properties. The real estate industry *hated* it, precisely because it worked -- it made selling risky properties more difficult. So they rebelled & Zillow caved.
Don't look up!
Don't look up!
Zillow Removes Climate Risk Scores From Home Listings
www.nytimes.com
November 30, 2025 at 8:04 PM
Lol, Zillow tried to rate the climate risks facing individual properties. The real estate industry *hated* it, precisely because it worked -- it made selling risky properties more difficult. So they rebelled & Zillow caved.
Don't look up!
Don't look up!
Reposted by Paul Konstant
Prospera Honduras is a Zone for Employment & Economic Development (ZEDE) backed by Peter Thiel. Trump plans to pardon the former Honduran president who championed ZEDES b4 his drug trafficking conviction. Honduras current outgoing president has tried to eliminate ZEDES, an obstacle for Prospera.
1/
1/
Prospera: Honduras' Bitcoin City Project
Prospera is Honduras' Bitcoin City project. Located on the island of Roatan in the Caribbean Sea, it faces several challenges.
colombiaone.com
November 30, 2025 at 7:27 PM
Prospera Honduras is a Zone for Employment & Economic Development (ZEDE) backed by Peter Thiel. Trump plans to pardon the former Honduran president who championed ZEDES b4 his drug trafficking conviction. Honduras current outgoing president has tried to eliminate ZEDES, an obstacle for Prospera.
1/
1/
Reposted by Paul Konstant
This is by a large margin the most serious problem and mistake in conference peer review I have seen in my career. Apparently a many people were aware of this and many could find out who their reviewers were. This probably has created a large number of unnecessary enmities.
@iclr-conf.bsky.social
@iclr-conf.bsky.social
November 27, 2025 at 7:45 PM
This is by a large margin the most serious problem and mistake in conference peer review I have seen in my career. Apparently a many people were aware of this and many could find out who their reviewers were. This probably has created a large number of unnecessary enmities.
@iclr-conf.bsky.social
@iclr-conf.bsky.social
Reposted by Paul Konstant
Wait so there are Peter Thiel-backed landlocked seasteading libertarian cities that the current Honduras govt wants to get rid of that Roger Stone has been advocating for that JOH also supports? And Stone has also been advocating for JOH 's pardon?
www.nytimes.com/2024/08/28/m...
www.nytimes.com/2024/08/28/m...
The For-Profit City That Might Come Crashing Down (Published 2024)
www.nytimes.com
November 29, 2025 at 6:58 PM
Wait so there are Peter Thiel-backed landlocked seasteading libertarian cities that the current Honduras govt wants to get rid of that Roger Stone has been advocating for that JOH also supports? And Stone has also been advocating for JOH 's pardon?
www.nytimes.com/2024/08/28/m...
www.nytimes.com/2024/08/28/m...
Reposted by Paul Konstant
yep-there's that darned Network State cult again
Wait so there are Peter Thiel-backed landlocked seasteading libertarian cities that the current Honduras govt wants to get rid of that Roger Stone has been advocating for that JOH also supports? And Stone has also been advocating for JOH 's pardon?
www.nytimes.com/2024/08/28/m...
www.nytimes.com/2024/08/28/m...
The For-Profit City That Might Come Crashing Down (Published 2024)
www.nytimes.com
November 29, 2025 at 6:59 PM
yep-there's that darned Network State cult again
Reposted by Paul Konstant
Our new paper is out: we present a quantitative framework to assess how (bio)tech interventions in plant agriculture could meaningfully contribute to climate mitigation. This may be the most important paper I ever publish #SyntheticBiology #ClimateAction #Agriculture #Biochar doi.org/10.1093/plph...
Harnessing plant agriculture to mitigate climate change: A framework to evaluate synthetic biology (and other) interventions
The scale of plant agriculture can be used to mitigate climate change, and meaningful targets (synthetic biology and comparators) can be selected to increa
doi.org
November 27, 2025 at 5:16 AM
Our new paper is out: we present a quantitative framework to assess how (bio)tech interventions in plant agriculture could meaningfully contribute to climate mitigation. This may be the most important paper I ever publish #SyntheticBiology #ClimateAction #Agriculture #Biochar doi.org/10.1093/plph...
Reposted by Paul Konstant
Make Uber aware and if they don’t do anything, add them to the boycott list
ICE is using Uber stickers in order to disguise themselves and kidnap people. Spread this for awareness!
November 29, 2025 at 3:18 AM
Make Uber aware and if they don’t do anything, add them to the boycott list
Reposted by Paul Konstant
"Mustafa served alongside the United States military in Afghanistan. Like so many other Afghans who helped American forces, he later came to the US for its promise of refuge. When I met him recently, though, he had only just left an ICE detention center after months behind bars."
The US Let Afghanistan Fall. Now It's Deporting Afghans.
As the Trump administration escalates deportations, tens of thousands of Afghans are in the US without permanent legal protections.
inkstickmedia.com
November 28, 2025 at 2:34 PM
"Mustafa served alongside the United States military in Afghanistan. Like so many other Afghans who helped American forces, he later came to the US for its promise of refuge. When I met him recently, though, he had only just left an ICE detention center after months behind bars."
Reposted by Paul Konstant
“In days after Alaska, a European intel agency distributed a hard-copy report in an envelope to some of the continent’s most senior national security officials, who were shocked by the contents: Inside were details of the commercial and economic plans the Trump admin had been pursuing with Russia.”
Make Money Not War: Trump’s Real Plan for Peace in Ukraine
The Kremlin pitched the White House on peace through business. To Europe’s dismay, the president and his envoy are on board.
www.wsj.com
November 29, 2025 at 5:57 AM
“In days after Alaska, a European intel agency distributed a hard-copy report in an envelope to some of the continent’s most senior national security officials, who were shocked by the contents: Inside were details of the commercial and economic plans the Trump admin had been pursuing with Russia.”
Reposted by Paul Konstant
Effective Altruism inevitably operates as a kind of fascist cult: it is a mode of thinking that liberates its followers from any direct moral responsibility for their actions.
New article inspired by the recent hoopla surrounding Karen Hao's book (re: water use). I argue that "no one should look to the EA community as exemplifying good habits of epistemic and moral conduct." Here's why: www.realtimetechpocalypse.com/p/how-effect...
How Effective Altruists Use Threats and Harassment to Silence Their Critics
How does the Effective Altruist community respond to critics? With threats and harassment. Even people who still call themselves "Effective Altruists" are afraid to openly criticize the community.
www.realtimetechpocalypse.com
November 28, 2025 at 11:30 PM
Effective Altruism inevitably operates as a kind of fascist cult: it is a mode of thinking that liberates its followers from any direct moral responsibility for their actions.
Reposted by Paul Konstant
Deeply misogynistic and white supremacist, yup. Perhaps you've seen this, already but I like the analyses bsky.app/profile/oliv...
On a related note, here's a useful book if people wanna understand more on EA doi.org/10.1093/oso/...
> It brings together a diverse group of activists and scholars to explore Effective Altruism’s failure to meaningfully address forms of human and animal suffering.
> It brings together a diverse group of activists and scholars to explore Effective Altruism’s failure to meaningfully address forms of human and animal suffering.
November 29, 2025 at 6:04 AM
Deeply misogynistic and white supremacist, yup. Perhaps you've seen this, already but I like the analyses bsky.app/profile/oliv...
Reposted by Paul Konstant
Vinay Prasad sent Tracey Høeg dumpster diving in VAERS for pretext to block access to flu vaccines, alter safety standards, end combo vaccines, & hold clinical trials to impossible standards.
CBER is supposed to regulate vaccines, not withhold them. FDA is as broken as CDC.
CBER is supposed to regulate vaccines, not withhold them. FDA is as broken as CDC.
Big change: FDA to impose strict new vaccine requirements under RFK Jr ally
Vinay Prasad signaled changes to annual flu shots, concurrent vaccines + more
Prasad said his team found link between covid-19 shots and kids' deaths, necessitating a new approach overall
with @rachelroubein.bsky.social
Vinay Prasad signaled changes to annual flu shots, concurrent vaccines + more
Prasad said his team found link between covid-19 shots and kids' deaths, necessitating a new approach overall
with @rachelroubein.bsky.social
FDA to impose strict new vaccine requirements, claiming child covid shot deaths
Vinay Prasad, the nation’s top vaccine regulator, said his team concluded that coronavirus shots were linked to children’s deaths, necessitating a new approach.
www.washingtonpost.com
November 29, 2025 at 7:09 AM
Vinay Prasad sent Tracey Høeg dumpster diving in VAERS for pretext to block access to flu vaccines, alter safety standards, end combo vaccines, & hold clinical trials to impossible standards.
CBER is supposed to regulate vaccines, not withhold them. FDA is as broken as CDC.
CBER is supposed to regulate vaccines, not withhold them. FDA is as broken as CDC.
Reposted by Paul Konstant
So the next time anyone tells you Trump is murdering Venezuelan fisherman because he cares about stopping the flow of drugs and terrorists into America…
…kindly tell them to shove it.
3/3
…kindly tell them to shove it.
3/3
November 29, 2025 at 7:44 AM
So the next time anyone tells you Trump is murdering Venezuelan fisherman because he cares about stopping the flow of drugs and terrorists into America…
…kindly tell them to shove it.
3/3
…kindly tell them to shove it.
3/3
Reposted by Paul Konstant
Andriy Yermak is out. www.theguardian.com/world/live/2...
Zelenskyy chief of staff resigns after property raid by Ukraine’s anti-corruption agencies – Europe live
‘I want there to be no rumours and speculation,’ Zelenskyy says as Andriy Yermak resigns
www.theguardian.com
November 28, 2025 at 3:57 PM
Andriy Yermak is out. www.theguardian.com/world/live/2...
Reposted by Paul Konstant
NEW from me - NSF cancels grant scheme for social science research.
Seems the NSF quietly archived ALL calls for DDRIG grants in the SBE directorate. This is a massive blow for PhD students wanting to do cutting-edge social science research. 🏺🧪
Seems the NSF quietly archived ALL calls for DDRIG grants in the SBE directorate. This is a massive blow for PhD students wanting to do cutting-edge social science research. 🏺🧪
Today's biggest science news: Doomed comet explodes | Comet 3I/ATLAS course alteration | Dark matter detected?
Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025: Your daily feed of the biggest discoveries and breakthroughs making headlines.
www.livescience.com
November 26, 2025 at 9:01 PM
NEW from me - NSF cancels grant scheme for social science research.
Seems the NSF quietly archived ALL calls for DDRIG grants in the SBE directorate. This is a massive blow for PhD students wanting to do cutting-edge social science research. 🏺🧪
Seems the NSF quietly archived ALL calls for DDRIG grants in the SBE directorate. This is a massive blow for PhD students wanting to do cutting-edge social science research. 🏺🧪
Reposted by Paul Konstant
The NSF social sciences program has funded some of the best research I’ve seen, especially at the PhD level. There really isn’t another country in the world with the equivalent funding capacity to fill this gap, and the damage from this choice will be felt for a long time.
NEW from me - NSF cancels grant scheme for social science research.
Seems the NSF quietly archived ALL calls for DDRIG grants in the SBE directorate. This is a massive blow for PhD students wanting to do cutting-edge social science research. 🏺🧪
Seems the NSF quietly archived ALL calls for DDRIG grants in the SBE directorate. This is a massive blow for PhD students wanting to do cutting-edge social science research. 🏺🧪
Today's biggest science news: Doomed comet explodes | Comet 3I/ATLAS course alteration | Dark matter detected?
Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025: Your daily feed of the biggest discoveries and breakthroughs making headlines.
www.livescience.com
November 27, 2025 at 7:04 AM
The NSF social sciences program has funded some of the best research I’ve seen, especially at the PhD level. There really isn’t another country in the world with the equivalent funding capacity to fill this gap, and the damage from this choice will be felt for a long time.
Reposted by Paul Konstant
The NSF Bio Anthro Program DDRIG, Cultural Anthrpology DDRIG, and Archaeology DDRIG have all been archived (as of yesterday afternoon). Please speak with your grad students and plan accordingly. To say I am angry and depressed about this is an understatement.
November 26, 2025 at 3:25 PM
The NSF Bio Anthro Program DDRIG, Cultural Anthrpology DDRIG, and Archaeology DDRIG have all been archived (as of yesterday afternoon). Please speak with your grad students and plan accordingly. To say I am angry and depressed about this is an understatement.
Reposted by Paul Konstant
On the Factor Fexcectorn and autism bicycle AI slop study: I got an answer from Springer Nature this morning that this scientific paper will be retracted! 🧪
Full story: nobreakthroughs.substack.com/p/riding-the...
Full story: nobreakthroughs.substack.com/p/riding-the...
Riding the Autism Bicycle to Retraction Town
Does anyone *really* know their Factor Fexcectorn?
nobreakthroughs.substack.com
November 28, 2025 at 5:25 AM
On the Factor Fexcectorn and autism bicycle AI slop study: I got an answer from Springer Nature this morning that this scientific paper will be retracted! 🧪
Full story: nobreakthroughs.substack.com/p/riding-the...
Full story: nobreakthroughs.substack.com/p/riding-the...
Reposted by Paul Konstant
#Mesky🧪 #neurosky #publichealth @cp-iscience.bsky.social
The neuroimmune axis refers to the bidirectional communication between the nervous system & the immune system,
www.cell.com/iscience/ful...
www.cell.com/action/showP...
The neuroimmune axis refers to the bidirectional communication between the nervous system & the immune system,
www.cell.com/iscience/ful...
www.cell.com/action/showP...
The neuroimmune axis and chronic pain disorders
Both the nervous system and the immune system alert and protect the body against pathogen
invasion and damage, but the extent of their interactions have only truly been elaborated
in the past few deca...
www.cell.com
November 28, 2025 at 8:47 AM
#Mesky🧪 #neurosky #publichealth @cp-iscience.bsky.social
The neuroimmune axis refers to the bidirectional communication between the nervous system & the immune system,
www.cell.com/iscience/ful...
www.cell.com/action/showP...
The neuroimmune axis refers to the bidirectional communication between the nervous system & the immune system,
www.cell.com/iscience/ful...
www.cell.com/action/showP...
Reposted by Paul Konstant
#TalDíaComoHoy nos dejaba Mary Somerville. Matemática, astrónoma y científica escocesa autodidacta. Motivó la acuñación de la palabra «científico/a» en vez de «hombre de ciencia» , además de ser la tutora de Ada Lovelace.
#WomenInSTEM
#WomenInSTEM
November 28, 2025 at 7:50 AM
#TalDíaComoHoy nos dejaba Mary Somerville. Matemática, astrónoma y científica escocesa autodidacta. Motivó la acuñación de la palabra «científico/a» en vez de «hombre de ciencia» , además de ser la tutora de Ada Lovelace.
#WomenInSTEM
#WomenInSTEM
Reposted by Paul Konstant
Spider-Man star Danny Seagren died aged 81
https://www.europesays.com/ie/204559/
Danny Seagren, the first live-action Spider-Man and a former Sesame Street puppeteer, has died at the age of…
https://www.europesays.com/ie/204559/
Danny Seagren, the first live-action Spider-Man and a former Sesame Street puppeteer, has died at the age of…
Spider-Man star Danny Seagren died aged 81 - Ireland
Danny Seagren, the first live-action Spider-Man and a former Sesame Street puppeteer, has died at the age of 81, his family has announced.
www.europesays.com
November 28, 2025 at 10:00 AM
Spider-Man star Danny Seagren died aged 81
https://www.europesays.com/ie/204559/
Danny Seagren, the first live-action Spider-Man and a former Sesame Street puppeteer, has died at the age of…
https://www.europesays.com/ie/204559/
Danny Seagren, the first live-action Spider-Man and a former Sesame Street puppeteer, has died at the age of…
Reposted by Paul Konstant
Your universe is a photocopy of a photocopy of a…
on.ft.com/4ahkNKa
on.ft.com/4ahkNKa
November 27, 2025 at 10:36 PM
Your universe is a photocopy of a photocopy of a…
on.ft.com/4ahkNKa
on.ft.com/4ahkNKa
Reposted by Paul Konstant
I’m a past winner of the Orwell Prize & won partly because I exposed Vote Leave’s unlawful activities.
Michael Gove was its co-convener & refused to answer a single q. He’s now a judge of the prize & our world is truly one that Orwell would recognise
bylinetimes.com/2025/11/25/m...
Michael Gove was its co-convener & refused to answer a single q. He’s now a judge of the prize & our world is truly one that Orwell would recognise
bylinetimes.com/2025/11/25/m...
Michael Gove Made Orwell Prize Judge Despite Record of Attacking Journalists and Dodging Scrutiny
Critics say "Orwell would have enjoyed the irony" of the former Conservative minister's appointment
bylinetimes.com
November 25, 2025 at 5:53 PM
I’m a past winner of the Orwell Prize & won partly because I exposed Vote Leave’s unlawful activities.
Michael Gove was its co-convener & refused to answer a single q. He’s now a judge of the prize & our world is truly one that Orwell would recognise
bylinetimes.com/2025/11/25/m...
Michael Gove was its co-convener & refused to answer a single q. He’s now a judge of the prize & our world is truly one that Orwell would recognise
bylinetimes.com/2025/11/25/m...