Andrew Therriault
@therriault.bsky.social
Data scientist. Former politico, founder, and bureaucrat. Occasional cool professor.
This one was way easier to write than last year's. (Fingers crossed I don't have to do this again for quite a while.)
November 22, 2025 at 2:57 AM
This one was way easier to write than last year's. (Fingers crossed I don't have to do this again for quite a while.)
Nothing like finally wrapping up another 10+ hour shift in the data mines, then calling an Uber to go out for the evening, only to wind up with a driver who's listening to an hour-long NPR for on agentic AI.
a man in a suit and tie is sitting in front of a window and says " i just want it to stop "
ALT: a man in a suit and tie is sitting in front of a window and says " i just want it to stop "
media.tenor.com
November 20, 2025 at 12:15 AM
Nothing like finally wrapping up another 10+ hour shift in the data mines, then calling an Uber to go out for the evening, only to wind up with a driver who's listening to an hour-long NPR for on agentic AI.
Air traffic control issues in Boston are getting wild. Per @flightradar24.com lots are getting diverted, including at least two that had to abort landings at the last minute.
November 10, 2025 at 3:29 PM
Air traffic control issues in Boston are getting wild. Per @flightradar24.com lots are getting diverted, including at least two that had to abort landings at the last minute.
Feels very Boston to have arrived at the protest an hour behind schedule because of @mbta.com shenanigans, but we made it in the end. Kind of shocked they couldn't get @dropkickmurphys.com to show up though - maybe next time boys?
October 18, 2025 at 7:36 PM
Feels very Boston to have arrived at the protest an hour behind schedule because of @mbta.com shenanigans, but we made it in the end. Kind of shocked they couldn't get @dropkickmurphys.com to show up though - maybe next time boys?
GPT-5 really makes me miss Clippy.
October 6, 2025 at 10:41 PM
GPT-5 really makes me miss Clippy.
Reposted by Andrew Therriault
The powers of the imperial presidency have to be placed into a tin box and lowered into the ground, and that ground needs to be covered with concrete and sealed inside the Chernobyl sarcophagus. Enough.
what a stupid presidency, what a stupid fucking war
June 22, 2025 at 12:02 AM
The powers of the imperial presidency have to be placed into a tin box and lowered into the ground, and that ground needs to be covered with concrete and sealed inside the Chernobyl sarcophagus. Enough.
This will be fun. Wonder which side he'll choose.
"Should America get involved in the conflict between Iran and Israel?"
No: 60%
Yes: 16%
YouGov / June 16, 2025
No: 60%
Yes: 16%
YouGov / June 16, 2025
June 17, 2025 at 10:56 PM
This will be fun. Wonder which side he'll choose.
My new Turing test: can your AI model successfully figure out how to find the right variable for the right geography and get it from the American Community Survey API?
(Also tempted to use this as a modern captcha for job applicants - all these ML engineers need to chill with the resume spamming.)
(Also tempted to use this as a modern captcha for job applicants - all these ML engineers need to chill with the resume spamming.)
June 17, 2025 at 6:50 PM
My new Turing test: can your AI model successfully figure out how to find the right variable for the right geography and get it from the American Community Survey API?
(Also tempted to use this as a modern captcha for job applicants - all these ML engineers need to chill with the resume spamming.)
(Also tempted to use this as a modern captcha for job applicants - all these ML engineers need to chill with the resume spamming.)
Reposted by Andrew Therriault
Goodnight, baby girl.
Sweet dreams, little one.
Sleep well, I'll see you in the morning.
Love you, honey.
Goodnight, baby girl.
💔
Sweet dreams, little one.
Sleep well, I'll see you in the morning.
Love you, honey.
Goodnight, baby girl.
💔
June 16, 2025 at 4:00 AM
Goodnight, baby girl.
Sweet dreams, little one.
Sleep well, I'll see you in the morning.
Love you, honey.
Goodnight, baby girl.
💔
Sweet dreams, little one.
Sleep well, I'll see you in the morning.
Love you, honey.
Goodnight, baby girl.
💔
Leaving #AAPOR and my flight got changed, so now I'm connecting in Detroit. Was lucky enough to score an upgrade, so I'm curious which esteemed paragon of methodological wisdom I'll be seated next to.
May 16, 2025 at 10:53 PM
Leaving #AAPOR and my flight got changed, so now I'm connecting in Detroit. Was lucky enough to score an upgrade, so I'm curious which esteemed paragon of methodological wisdom I'll be seated next to.
Hey @newsweek.com are you using ChatGPT without proofreading now? Because referring to "Former President Trump" is exactly the kind of thing an AI model with a knowledge cutoff date of 2023 would do. 🤔
May 16, 2025 at 10:22 PM
Hey @newsweek.com are you using ChatGPT without proofreading now? Because referring to "Former President Trump" is exactly the kind of thing an AI model with a knowledge cutoff date of 2023 would do. 🤔
Reposted by Andrew Therriault
Just curious - what is an acceptable success rate before you ship an AI product?
May 15, 2025 at 4:40 AM
Just curious - what is an acceptable success rate before you ship an AI product?
In my fantasy timeline, this is the new "fell off the back of a truck" and they somehow wind up in Kiev. Sigh...
Breaking: Another F/A-18 fighter jet from the Truman aircraft carrier has been lost in the Red Sea, the second jet lost from the carrier in just over a week, per 4 people familiar w/the incident. 2 aviators ejected and were recovered by helo with minor injuries. www.cnn.com/2025/05/06/p...
Second US Navy jet is lost at sea from Truman aircraft carrier | CNN Politics
Another F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jet from the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier has been lost in the Red Sea, the second jet lost from the carrier in just over a week, four people familiar with ...
www.cnn.com
May 7, 2025 at 3:04 AM
In my fantasy timeline, this is the new "fell off the back of a truck" and they somehow wind up in Kiev. Sigh...
Reposted by Andrew Therriault
Schumer’s simply not up to what this moment demands of our leaders. A letter might be how “opposition” looked or functioned before but that doesn’t cut it today.
Schumer on the Democratic response to Trump's shakedown of Harvard: "We sent him a very strong letter just the other day asking eight very strong questions."
April 27, 2025 at 1:40 PM
Schumer’s simply not up to what this moment demands of our leaders. A letter might be how “opposition” looked or functioned before but that doesn’t cut it today.
Can't wait until GOP electeds start considering what it's going to be like to be unemployed in a broken economy after the midterms.
Pew Research poll
President Trump approval
Disapprove 59% (+8)
Approve 40% (-7)
4/7-4/13
www.pewresearch.org/politics/202...
President Trump approval
Disapprove 59% (+8)
Approve 40% (-7)
4/7-4/13
www.pewresearch.org/politics/202...
Trump’s Job Rating Drops, Key Policies Draw Majority Disapproval as He Nears 100 Days
Trump's approval rating stands at 40%, and Americans mostly disapprove of his tariffs and government cuts.
www.pewresearch.org
April 23, 2025 at 7:06 PM
Can't wait until GOP electeds start considering what it's going to be like to be unemployed in a broken economy after the midterms.
Reposted by Andrew Therriault
To put things in context: Three weeks ago, it felt like every institution was folding. Like nobody was standing up except the American people, like we were calling our representatives and nothing was happening.
April 21, 2025 at 12:04 AM
To put things in context: Three weeks ago, it felt like every institution was folding. Like nobody was standing up except the American people, like we were calling our representatives and nothing was happening.
If you're unsatisfied with the Dem / progressive leaders we have now and want better ones, there are people working on doing exactly that who could use your support.
April 20, 2025 at 3:08 PM
If you're unsatisfied with the Dem / progressive leaders we have now and want better ones, there are people working on doing exactly that who could use your support.
Do any European countries let you apply for asylum because your president belongs in one? This is absolutely insane.
I don’t think president xi is going to call Trump and make a deal
April 20, 2025 at 2:14 AM
Do any European countries let you apply for asylum because your president belongs in one? This is absolutely insane.
Aside from the moral question here, Yglesias's claim is based on a theory of campaign strategy about 2 decades out of date. Refocusing attention on favorable issues can work in elections, but persuasion is how you make issues favorable in the first place. It's not just one or the other.
No, actually, we shouldn't just let the government violently attack people on the streets and disappear them into foreign gulags. We should try to stop them.
April 19, 2025 at 5:19 PM
Aside from the moral question here, Yglesias's claim is based on a theory of campaign strategy about 2 decades out of date. Refocusing attention on favorable issues can work in elections, but persuasion is how you make issues favorable in the first place. It's not just one or the other.
Reposted by Andrew Therriault
This is also why we need every prominent Democrat to say "This is illegal, and when we take power, we will prosecute it" to remind every bureaucrat or political appointee that if they help Trump, they will end up in jail
This headline needs to include the word “illegal”. As the article states, it is against the law for the president to order the IRS to target specific entities. Everyone is talking about how bad it is without talking about how it is 100% illegal
www.nytimes.com/2025/04/18/u...
www.nytimes.com/2025/04/18/u...
With Harvard Threat, Trump Tries to Bend the I.R.S. to His Will
Since the post-Nixon era, the Internal Revenue Service has had a degree of independence from the White House. President Trump is seeking to change that.
www.nytimes.com
April 18, 2025 at 1:29 PM
This is also why we need every prominent Democrat to say "This is illegal, and when we take power, we will prosecute it" to remind every bureaucrat or political appointee that if they help Trump, they will end up in jail
Reposted by Andrew Therriault
I'm not saying that New Yorkers are weak-kneed cowards, but I am saying that Massachusetts has set the national example for how to treat tyrants since 1775.
April 15, 2025 at 1:28 AM
I'm not saying that New Yorkers are weak-kneed cowards, but I am saying that Massachusetts has set the national example for how to treat tyrants since 1775.
Reposted by Andrew Therriault
I don’t think New York City can lay claim to being the greatest city in the world simply based on its run of mayors they have elected. We’re gonna give that title to Paris or something until they get their shit together
Two influential New York City labor unions that backed Mayor Eric Adams in 2021 switched their support on Monday to Andrew Cuomo, reflecting his growing dominance as the race for mayor accelerates.
Cuomo Wins Backing of 2 Major Unions That Once Pushed Him to Resign
Former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo’s bid for New York City mayor was endorsed by two of the city’s largest unions, Local 32BJ and the Hotel and Gaming Trades Council.
www.nytimes.com
April 14, 2025 at 7:32 PM
I don’t think New York City can lay claim to being the greatest city in the world simply based on its run of mayors they have elected. We’re gonna give that title to Paris or something until they get their shit together
Data folks: how do I explain to a bunch of product-focused engineers why we need separate data infra for AI/ML/analytics? Seems obvious to me but apparently it's not. Any favorite citations / quick reads? (Have already shared the dbt explainer on analytics engineering vs data engineering to start.)
April 13, 2025 at 2:02 PM
Data folks: how do I explain to a bunch of product-focused engineers why we need separate data infra for AI/ML/analytics? Seems obvious to me but apparently it's not. Any favorite citations / quick reads? (Have already shared the dbt explainer on analytics engineering vs data engineering to start.)