Leif Hancox-Li, PhD
@struthious.bsky.social
Applied scientist working on LLM evaluation and publishing in AI ethics. Formerly: technical writing, philosophy. Urbanism nerd in my spare time. Opinions here my own. he/they 🏳️⚧️. https://boltzmann-brain.github.io/
LRT: if zohran would do a video talking about how we need to make development easier so that mom-and-pop developers can also build housing, it would make a big difference
November 30, 2025 at 3:37 AM
LRT: if zohran would do a video talking about how we need to make development easier so that mom-and-pop developers can also build housing, it would make a big difference
Reposted by Leif Hancox-Li, PhD
Honestly it's funny that he is *quite literally* saying "deregulate and reduce the burden of taxation on business to create jobs" and nobody on the left will criticise him. Good.
Soon small businesses won’t have to wait for Small Business Saturday to get attention from their Mayor.
Some changes that they can look forward to:
Some changes that they can look forward to:
November 29, 2025 at 11:08 PM
Honestly it's funny that he is *quite literally* saying "deregulate and reduce the burden of taxation on business to create jobs" and nobody on the left will criticise him. Good.
this is why the term has become not very informative to me
Oo yeah there is a definite divide between DC PAC "abundance" and 30-somethings who vote in blue state Democratic primaries "abundance."
November 30, 2025 at 3:14 AM
this is why the term has become not very informative to me
'nduja is underrated
November 30, 2025 at 1:59 AM
'nduja is underrated
Reposted by Leif Hancox-Li, PhD
To be explicit, we executed a German U-Boat commander who said he had to sink lifesaving gear / “inadvertently” kill survivors because it might give away his position, thereby potentially resulting in the loss of his submarine.
We executed multiple members of that crew.
We executed multiple members of that crew.
November 28, 2025 at 6:11 PM
To be explicit, we executed a German U-Boat commander who said he had to sink lifesaving gear / “inadvertently” kill survivors because it might give away his position, thereby potentially resulting in the loss of his submarine.
We executed multiple members of that crew.
We executed multiple members of that crew.
Reposted by Leif Hancox-Li, PhD
Just the latest in a series of papers showing that, yes, new housing stock is good for the entire housing market.
Interesting new working paper that studies chains of movers after the construction of a new apartment building in Honolulu.
Paper finds that the project resulted in the opening up other, lower cost, housing on the island, benefiting the housing market overall.
Paper finds that the project resulted in the opening up other, lower cost, housing on the island, benefiting the housing market overall.
uhero.hawaii.edu
November 28, 2025 at 4:16 PM
Just the latest in a series of papers showing that, yes, new housing stock is good for the entire housing market.
ok it would be funny if nimbyism led to the BQE failing to exist
This thing is never getting rebuilt lol
November 28, 2025 at 4:06 PM
ok it would be funny if nimbyism led to the BQE failing to exist
Reposted by Leif Hancox-Li, PhD
Look, if you're not an expert you wouldn't know, but this chart is bullshit. They could not possibly measure this as 1. How can you tell for sure? There's no reliable automated way. 2. You're not counting the many sites that are blocking crawlers now.
But there's an even more important reason...
But there's an even more important reason...
November 28, 2025 at 12:47 PM
Look, if you're not an expert you wouldn't know, but this chart is bullshit. They could not possibly measure this as 1. How can you tell for sure? There's no reliable automated way. 2. You're not counting the many sites that are blocking crawlers now.
But there's an even more important reason...
But there's an even more important reason...
so many bangers in this one
November 28, 2025 at 3:52 PM
so many bangers in this one
basically this, yeah. and because they take this representationalist tack instead of arguing solely on the merits of the policy, they end up making exclusionary claims like 'don't listen to the transplants'
It’s also to be fine to say “In the course of my studies, I believe X is the optimal, equitable policy”
It has become a very ugly habit among a certain set of nonprofit attorneys who pretend they have been chosen by the unwashed masses to speak for them and then accuse others of being paternalistic
It has become a very ugly habit among a certain set of nonprofit attorneys who pretend they have been chosen by the unwashed masses to speak for them and then accuse others of being paternalistic
November 28, 2025 at 3:32 PM
basically this, yeah. and because they take this representationalist tack instead of arguing solely on the merits of the policy, they end up making exclusionary claims like 'don't listen to the transplants'
Reposted by Leif Hancox-Li, PhD
Uni became the box :3
November 28, 2025 at 1:41 PM
Uni became the box :3
Reposted by Leif Hancox-Li, PhD
<thing i like> is just so human, unlike <thing i dislike>
November 28, 2025 at 10:14 AM
<thing i like> is just so human, unlike <thing i dislike>
Reposted by Leif Hancox-Li, PhD
Worth saying there's a lot of completely normal ways to put the private market into health insurance (germany uses multi payer rate setting) but all of them need govt oversight
Yet another reminder of why health insurance should not be a private, for-profit industry and we should have a single payer, publicly run system
www.bostonglobe.com/2025/11/28/b...
www.bostonglobe.com/2025/11/28/b...
‘We’re at a breaking point’: Health insurance premiums just keep going up, worsening affordability crisis - The Boston Globe
Many employers’ premiums have risen by 10 percent or more, insurers and brokers say, straining families’ budgets.
www.bostonglobe.com
November 28, 2025 at 1:01 PM
Worth saying there's a lot of completely normal ways to put the private market into health insurance (germany uses multi payer rate setting) but all of them need govt oversight
Reposted by Leif Hancox-Li, PhD
one of the least sympathetic microgenres of post is, "I financed an extremely expensive truck at fairly normal APRs and am paying HOW MUCH in interest?!"
my uncle is broke as shit in his 60s in large part from making this exact sort of decision multiple times
my uncle is broke as shit in his 60s in large part from making this exact sort of decision multiple times
November 27, 2025 at 5:44 PM
one of the least sympathetic microgenres of post is, "I financed an extremely expensive truck at fairly normal APRs and am paying HOW MUCH in interest?!"
my uncle is broke as shit in his 60s in large part from making this exact sort of decision multiple times
my uncle is broke as shit in his 60s in large part from making this exact sort of decision multiple times
Reposted by Leif Hancox-Li, PhD
ruin your thanksgiving by reading new york magazine's take on mathematics
![The Ten Most
Ridiculous-Sounding
Math Classes Currently
Offered at Liberal-Arts
Colleges
By Jessica Pressler, Janelle Zara, and Emily Watkins Rachel Stein andAviva Shen OCT. 19, 2010
Every year, liberal-arts majors anxiously scour their college's course listings looking for classes that will fulfill their math requirement but aren't so, you know, math-y. Here's what they're signed up for this year.
10. Topology: The Nature of Shape and Space: "In geometry we ask: How big is it? How long is it? But in topology we ask: Is it [Sarah Lawrence
9. The Mathematies of Chance: "Most topics are introduced ina case-study fashion, usually by reading an article in a current periodical such as the New York Times. [Bard]](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:5itm7jsyrdqdxizkb4cufqxl/bafkreieq6gmwmropzlvjkaaxk6d2smd4tv4dy7qar66uoyv6mhs6naa3fu@jpeg)
![8. Mathematics in Many Cultures: "Mathematical ideas are found in many cultures, among both literate and non-literate peoples. This course examines both mathematics and the role it plays in the cultures. Examples chosen from the mathematical ideas of present-day peoples of Africa, Asia, Oceania and the Americas, as well as historic Egypt, Mesopotamia, Greece, Islam and China." [Pomona]
7. The Magic of Numbers: "This course will explore the beauty and mystery of mathematics through a study of the patterns and properties of the natural numbers 1, 2, [and] 3." [Harvard
6. Models of Life: In particular, we will ask such questions as: How do you model the growth of a population of animals? How can you model the growth of a tree? How do sunflowers and seashells grow?" [Kenyon]](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:5itm7jsyrdqdxizkb4cufqxl/bafkreic3c4ox53ouwr3ij3wsmvetmuknu2u2jai7hlvuigco3ahppeoabi@jpeg)
![5. Mathematical Origamist's Toolkit: "Topics include modular origami and how this models the creation of polyhedra and coloring of graphs, comparison of origami-axiomatic constructions to straight-edge and compass constructions, the combinatorics of possible crease patterns, the mathematics of origami design (circle packing, optimization), matrix models for paperfolding, spherical geometry, Descartes' Theorem, and Gaussian curvature." [Hampshire]
4. Mathematics and Narrative: "Many literary works (Arcadia, Proof, and Uncle Petros and the Goldbach Conjecture) use mathematics as an integral part of their narrative. Movie and television narratives such as Good Will Hunting and Numb3rs are also mathematically based. Nonfiction works about mathematics and mathematical biographies like Chaos, Fermat's Enigma, and A Beautiful Mind provide further examples of the connection between mathematics and narrative." [Vassar]](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:5itm7jsyrdqdxizkb4cufqxl/bafkreigyk5tqjszw3fodt7ivmszq7mozpta55o7c552oyzpbqyphl26x7m@jpeg)
![3. Borges and Mathematics: "Jorge Luis Borges was one of the most important writers of the 20th century. Many of his short stories and essays were concerned with philosophical, metaphysical, and mathematical questions. The thesis motivating this course is that if we know the mathematies that Borges referred to, then we will read him differently, and we will read him better." [Bennington 2. Mathematics and Science as Art in Contemporary Theatre: "Playwrights such as Tom Stoppard, Rinne Groff, Michael Frayn, and others have effectively explored mathematical and scientific themes for artistic purposes. Through readings and exercises, and by conducting labs and staging scenes, this class will gain some first-hand insight into the complementary ways in which science and art aim to seek out their respective truths." [Middlebury]
1. Meaning, Math, And Motion: "Quoting a charming articulation by Kinsman (a mathematician-turned-oceanographer, in the preface to Wind Waves): "To the beginner, science is a conversation that has been in progress for a very long time. Our collective work is to catch up on the conversation. [Evergreen]
This is why Asia is winning, by the way.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:5itm7jsyrdqdxizkb4cufqxl/bafkreihglx3kxej43i22j4vggyoutp2oyomivtmmvgp6uvslqemm4hhpci@jpeg)
November 27, 2025 at 3:14 PM
ruin your thanksgiving by reading new york magazine's take on mathematics
it's fitting that Life after Cars (by @thewaroncars.bsky.social ) starts its 'cars ruin nature' chapter by describing a car killing a beloved owl, because I can attest that @sjshancoxli.liberalcurrents.com once collided with an owl while on a bike, and both parties emerged unscathed.
November 27, 2025 at 6:19 PM
it's fitting that Life after Cars (by @thewaroncars.bsky.social ) starts its 'cars ruin nature' chapter by describing a car killing a beloved owl, because I can attest that @sjshancoxli.liberalcurrents.com once collided with an owl while on a bike, and both parties emerged unscathed.
Reposted by Leif Hancox-Li, PhD
What happens when you downzone?
Our new open-access research paper in @findingspress.org investigates effects of decades of downzoning in Chicago.
Findings:
—Downzoned areas added 1/7th of the new units as comparable non-downzoned areas;
—Downzoned areas became more white & were more expensive.
Our new open-access research paper in @findingspress.org investigates effects of decades of downzoning in Chicago.
Findings:
—Downzoned areas added 1/7th of the new units as comparable non-downzoned areas;
—Downzoned areas became more white & were more expensive.
Downzoning Chicago: How Local Land Use Policy Has Reduced Housing Construction and Reinforced Segregation | Published in Findings
By Yonah Freemark, George Kisiel. Downzonings were used by US cities in the postwar period to preserve neighborhood character. These land-use policies were associated with lower housing supply, higher...
findingspress.org
November 26, 2025 at 8:33 PM
What happens when you downzone?
Our new open-access research paper in @findingspress.org investigates effects of decades of downzoning in Chicago.
Findings:
—Downzoned areas added 1/7th of the new units as comparable non-downzoned areas;
—Downzoned areas became more white & were more expensive.
Our new open-access research paper in @findingspress.org investigates effects of decades of downzoning in Chicago.
Findings:
—Downzoned areas added 1/7th of the new units as comparable non-downzoned areas;
—Downzoned areas became more white & were more expensive.
Reposted by Leif Hancox-Li, PhD
LLMs being good at poetry and proofs but bad at knowing whether an empirical fact is true or false is an unexpected win for Platonism
November 26, 2025 at 11:10 PM
LLMs being good at poetry and proofs but bad at knowing whether an empirical fact is true or false is an unexpected win for Platonism
Twisters is being sold
November 26, 2025 at 7:33 PM
Twisters is being sold
Reposted by Leif Hancox-Li, PhD
Please stop blaming on trade the things (or putative things like the $140k number) that are pretty much entirely the fault of America’s terrible nontradeable sectors. www.wsj.com/opinion/trum...
November 26, 2025 at 3:15 PM
Please stop blaming on trade the things (or putative things like the $140k number) that are pretty much entirely the fault of America’s terrible nontradeable sectors. www.wsj.com/opinion/trum...
Reposted by Leif Hancox-Li, PhD
Jones Green Bean Casserole Soda (2004-2004): A sickly green soda made to taste like the divisive Thanksgiving side dish, with notes of earthy green beans, fried onions, and cream of mushroom soup. Sold as part of a novelty holiday-themed pack of sodas.
November 26, 2025 at 1:01 PM
Jones Green Bean Casserole Soda (2004-2004): A sickly green soda made to taste like the divisive Thanksgiving side dish, with notes of earthy green beans, fried onions, and cream of mushroom soup. Sold as part of a novelty holiday-themed pack of sodas.
Reposted by Leif Hancox-Li, PhD
what we don’t have in turkey fryer explosion videos, we make up for with 10-pound grease ball pics.
November 25, 2025 at 8:58 PM
what we don’t have in turkey fryer explosion videos, we make up for with 10-pound grease ball pics.
Reposted by Leif Hancox-Li, PhD
The average medieval peasant could not buy a gas station delta 9 gummy and watch “Scooter Fail Compilation 5” on YouTube, which makes it difficult to compare GDP across time
November 26, 2025 at 5:03 AM
The average medieval peasant could not buy a gas station delta 9 gummy and watch “Scooter Fail Compilation 5” on YouTube, which makes it difficult to compare GDP across time
Reposted by Leif Hancox-Li, PhD
The MTA is negligent in making no effort to install these, but massive jury verdicts are the worst way to do cost-benefit analyses. Platform screen doors are complex to retrofit, and the lack of them is tied to political pressure to never cut crew staffing (which are a major benefit of screen doors)
MTA has started to pay the price for procrastinating on the three-station pilot for platform screen doors, first announced in 2022. ny1.com/nyc/brooklyn...
MTA ordered to pay $81.7 million to woman struck by subway in Brooklyn
The jury determined that the MTA had failed to install safety barriers or other protective devices.
ny1.com
November 25, 2025 at 2:27 PM
The MTA is negligent in making no effort to install these, but massive jury verdicts are the worst way to do cost-benefit analyses. Platform screen doors are complex to retrofit, and the lack of them is tied to political pressure to never cut crew staffing (which are a major benefit of screen doors)
Reposted by Leif Hancox-Li, PhD
The full time job of the modal person with the title of "city planner" in the US is to be a steward of segregation.
November 25, 2025 at 5:52 PM
The full time job of the modal person with the title of "city planner" in the US is to be a steward of segregation.