Sameer Vasta
@sameervasta.bsky.social
Unabashedly earnest. Unapologetically enthusiastic. Infinitely curious. (he/him)
Reposted by Sameer Vasta
Heads up, London! 👀
Don’t miss out on all your Library has to offer this week. We’re hosting Holiday storytimes, science fiction, poetry, chess and more.
Check out the full list of events on our website! buff.ly/sjgSTwg
Don’t miss out on all your Library has to offer this week. We’re hosting Holiday storytimes, science fiction, poetry, chess and more.
Check out the full list of events on our website! buff.ly/sjgSTwg
November 30, 2025 at 4:01 PM
Heads up, London! 👀
Don’t miss out on all your Library has to offer this week. We’re hosting Holiday storytimes, science fiction, poetry, chess and more.
Check out the full list of events on our website! buff.ly/sjgSTwg
Don’t miss out on all your Library has to offer this week. We’re hosting Holiday storytimes, science fiction, poetry, chess and more.
Check out the full list of events on our website! buff.ly/sjgSTwg
Reposted by Sameer Vasta
I don’t know if anyone else notices or cares, but when I see a presentation in which the speaker uses obviously generated-AI images to illustrate their slides, it makes me immediately less confident in whatever other content they’re presenting.
November 28, 2025 at 3:07 PM
I don’t know if anyone else notices or cares, but when I see a presentation in which the speaker uses obviously generated-AI images to illustrate their slides, it makes me immediately less confident in whatever other content they’re presenting.
Reposted by Sameer Vasta
I think if Canada wants to have a strong cultural identity we need to go back to doing what we're best at, making the weirdest fucking TV shows you've ever seen
November 26, 2025 at 7:33 PM
I think if Canada wants to have a strong cultural identity we need to go back to doing what we're best at, making the weirdest fucking TV shows you've ever seen
Reposted by Sameer Vasta
Canada made weird tv shows because it was all being done with government funded art grant money so they fell in this wacky middle ground between “shoestring budget” and “no expectation to generate shareholder value” which is really the best way to make art
November 26, 2025 at 9:31 PM
Canada made weird tv shows because it was all being done with government funded art grant money so they fell in this wacky middle ground between “shoestring budget” and “no expectation to generate shareholder value” which is really the best way to make art
Always looking for an excuse to buy (and use!) new stamps, so this is just a delight: www.cbc.ca/books/new-st...
November 26, 2025 at 9:21 PM
Always looking for an excuse to buy (and use!) new stamps, so this is just a delight: www.cbc.ca/books/new-st...
Reposted by Sameer Vasta
*trying to unlock my phone with my glasses off*
📱: I’ve never seen you before in my life.
*put glasses on*
📱: oh thank GOODness you’re back sir, some hideous monstrosity just tried to break in to god knows what vile ends
📱: I’ve never seen you before in my life.
*put glasses on*
📱: oh thank GOODness you’re back sir, some hideous monstrosity just tried to break in to god knows what vile ends
November 21, 2025 at 7:48 PM
*trying to unlock my phone with my glasses off*
📱: I’ve never seen you before in my life.
*put glasses on*
📱: oh thank GOODness you’re back sir, some hideous monstrosity just tried to break in to god knows what vile ends
📱: I’ve never seen you before in my life.
*put glasses on*
📱: oh thank GOODness you’re back sir, some hideous monstrosity just tried to break in to god knows what vile ends
Reposted by Sameer Vasta
Going to end on one of the most beautiful commercials ever made with the reminder and a call to remember the small things. They make a big difference to others.
Love all, help all.
Go Jackets.
Love all, help all.
Go Jackets.
November 21, 2025 at 4:35 PM
Going to end on one of the most beautiful commercials ever made with the reminder and a call to remember the small things. They make a big difference to others.
Love all, help all.
Go Jackets.
Love all, help all.
Go Jackets.
Reposted by Sameer Vasta
It’s widely known (and, I think, pretty uncontroversial) that learning requires effort — specifically, if you don’t have to work at getting the knowledge, it won’t stick.
Even if an LLM could be trusted to give you correct information 100% of the time, it would be an inferior method of learning it.
Even if an LLM could be trusted to give you correct information 100% of the time, it would be an inferior method of learning it.
Relying on ChatGPT to teach you about a topic leaves you with shallower knowledge than Googling and reading about it, according to new research that compared what more than 10,000 people knew after using one method or the other.
Shared by @gizmodo.com: buff.ly/yAAHtHq
Shared by @gizmodo.com: buff.ly/yAAHtHq
November 21, 2025 at 12:49 PM
It’s widely known (and, I think, pretty uncontroversial) that learning requires effort — specifically, if you don’t have to work at getting the knowledge, it won’t stick.
Even if an LLM could be trusted to give you correct information 100% of the time, it would be an inferior method of learning it.
Even if an LLM could be trusted to give you correct information 100% of the time, it would be an inferior method of learning it.
Reposted by Sameer Vasta
I really hate it when scientists keep saying that “we need to rebuild trust in science,” because it implies that scientists are to blame for the mistrust rather than the millions of dollars of dark money that have funded political attacks on science in order to advance a far right agenda.
November 19, 2025 at 9:48 PM
I really hate it when scientists keep saying that “we need to rebuild trust in science,” because it implies that scientists are to blame for the mistrust rather than the millions of dollars of dark money that have funded political attacks on science in order to advance a far right agenda.
Reposted by Sameer Vasta
Screw it, I’m going to stop reading the news and watch a knitted frog make a pie, read a book, and go to bed.
November 18, 2025 at 4:58 PM
Screw it, I’m going to stop reading the news and watch a knitted frog make a pie, read a book, and go to bed.
Reposted by Sameer Vasta
I will say again that it has been just *beyond* hammered home for me that not only do we not live in a meritocracy, we live in an economic and sociopolitical order that actively rewards avarice, incompetence, unkindness, dishonesty.
And tbh that makes me feel better about my lack of success.
And tbh that makes me feel better about my lack of success.
I love mess but man this whole thing underlines how much it sucks that all the worst journalists somehow end up with flashy high-paying media jobs
November 18, 2025 at 5:34 AM
I will say again that it has been just *beyond* hammered home for me that not only do we not live in a meritocracy, we live in an economic and sociopolitical order that actively rewards avarice, incompetence, unkindness, dishonesty.
And tbh that makes me feel better about my lack of success.
And tbh that makes me feel better about my lack of success.
Reposted by Sameer Vasta
hacking furiously at the invasive bamboo that is my social media feed, knowing that the shoots of unwanted information will only return
November 18, 2025 at 2:37 AM
hacking furiously at the invasive bamboo that is my social media feed, knowing that the shoots of unwanted information will only return
Reposted by Sameer Vasta
thank you to the canadian parliament for not voting down the budget we hate in favour of an election we would hate more
November 18, 2025 at 12:12 AM
thank you to the canadian parliament for not voting down the budget we hate in favour of an election we would hate more
Reposted by Sameer Vasta
I don't have "too many tabs open." My tabs are flourishing. Healthy. Bountiful. The ecosystem is thriving.
November 17, 2025 at 5:04 PM
I don't have "too many tabs open." My tabs are flourishing. Healthy. Bountiful. The ecosystem is thriving.
Rum and eggnog, with some fresh nutmeg grated on top of it, while we dance in the living room while the snow falls outside the window.
November 16, 2025 at 9:54 PM
Rum and eggnog, with some fresh nutmeg grated on top of it, while we dance in the living room while the snow falls outside the window.
Georgetown for the first half of it and UToronto for the second half. Both excellent schools and I feel lucky to have been able to attend both.
Where did ya’ll go to college?
November 15, 2025 at 8:25 PM
Georgetown for the first half of it and UToronto for the second half. Both excellent schools and I feel lucky to have been able to attend both.
Reposted by Sameer Vasta
Elected officials shouldn’t have the power to vote against traffic signals or lower speed limits. I don’t think this because I don’t believe in democracy; I think this because I believe in evidence-based placemaking & city-building. Safer streets shouldn’t be situational or left up to a vote.
November 14, 2025 at 7:08 PM
Elected officials shouldn’t have the power to vote against traffic signals or lower speed limits. I don’t think this because I don’t believe in democracy; I think this because I believe in evidence-based placemaking & city-building. Safer streets shouldn’t be situational or left up to a vote.
“Ten years of marriage is a monumental occasion. It marks a decade of being with someone who makes you laugh, makes you feel loved, makes you want to be a better person.” www.inthemargins.ca/tenth-annive...
November 14, 2025 at 2:14 AM
“Ten years of marriage is a monumental occasion. It marks a decade of being with someone who makes you laugh, makes you feel loved, makes you want to be a better person.” www.inthemargins.ca/tenth-annive...
Reposted by Sameer Vasta
Reposted by Sameer Vasta
Yeah, once again, disabled workers, parents and caregivers who rely on work from home would appreciate it if everyone from bosses to politicians to rando pundits online would stop blaming wfh for everything from cratering morale to the death of entire cities.
Just a small note, really.
Just a small note, really.
if you cant go in to the office 3 days a week then you really can't complain when cities are hollowed out. cities are places where ppl work and network. getting rid of that makes cities useless
And it's usually something like "but that's not what the literal DNC does!" as if I don't know, as someone who has worked on Dem campaigns, sometimes in conjunction with the DNC what they do. So I'm going to be very specific here: this is the DNC being shitty: www.nytimes.com/2025/11/12/u...
November 13, 2025 at 4:44 PM
Yeah, once again, disabled workers, parents and caregivers who rely on work from home would appreciate it if everyone from bosses to politicians to rando pundits online would stop blaming wfh for everything from cratering morale to the death of entire cities.
Just a small note, really.
Just a small note, really.
Reposted by Sameer Vasta
Maybe it’s just the Humanities professor in me, but let it be noted that events of today (ahem) have demonstrated the value of being able to assess a large volume of qualitative data and do careful textual analysis with deep attention to context.
November 13, 2025 at 12:24 AM
Maybe it’s just the Humanities professor in me, but let it be noted that events of today (ahem) have demonstrated the value of being able to assess a large volume of qualitative data and do careful textual analysis with deep attention to context.
Actively looking for new work: ideally in #ldnont or remote. Two decades of experience in communications (especially internal comms), talent management and employee experience, and digital governance. Mostly in public sector. Leads appreciated! Thank you!
November 12, 2025 at 8:24 PM
Actively looking for new work: ideally in #ldnont or remote. Two decades of experience in communications (especially internal comms), talent management and employee experience, and digital governance. Mostly in public sector. Leads appreciated! Thank you!
Reposted by Sameer Vasta
Holy shit, just learned about the typewriter art of Montserrat Alberich Escardívol, a Catalan typist. Using an extra wide typewriter and 180 color ribbons, she built up elaborate images from simple characters like 'm' and '.' and ';'. Here is her typewritten painting of the Cathedral of Barcelona.
November 12, 2025 at 4:19 PM
Holy shit, just learned about the typewriter art of Montserrat Alberich Escardívol, a Catalan typist. Using an extra wide typewriter and 180 color ribbons, she built up elaborate images from simple characters like 'm' and '.' and ';'. Here is her typewritten painting of the Cathedral of Barcelona.
Reposted by Sameer Vasta
I love Toronto but the fact that permitting convenience stores in residential neighbourhoods is an actual debate reminds me of how incredibly conservative the city is. Like, are people okay?
November 12, 2025 at 4:03 PM
I love Toronto but the fact that permitting convenience stores in residential neighbourhoods is an actual debate reminds me of how incredibly conservative the city is. Like, are people okay?