Aaron D'Souza
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aarondsouza.bsky.social
Aaron D'Souza
@aarondsouza.bsky.social
Pathological learner. Lapsed Ph.D.
math | code | jazz | drums | photos
If anyone wants to kill me, send me a Scotchy. I would spend all day giving belly rubs and completely forget to y'know, feed myself and stuff.
This is Scotchy. He is here to collect the belly rub toll. Would like to remind you that failing to pay results in a fine of even more belly rubs. 12/10 (TT: scotchythedoxie)
November 24, 2025 at 6:53 PM
What a privilege to catch two sets of these masters play material from their Steel House and Three Visitors projects.
November 23, 2025 at 5:40 PM
Henry Cole.

Miguel Zenón's longtime drummer has a new album of his own. And what scope it dares to have. Bringing the ancestors to play bomba & plena with the sonic palettes of Hendrix, Fela & James Brown. Haven't heard music this ambitious in a long time.

Go get it.
Henry Cole & Villa Locura - Raw & Spiritual. Interstellar Puerto Rican Funk Music
Recorded at Electric Lady Studios , NYC By Phil Joly Mixed by Michael Brauer Mastered by Joe La Porta Produced by Henry Cole Co-produced by Jason Lindner & Phil Joly Liner note...
henry-cole.com
November 19, 2025 at 6:12 AM
Anouar Brahem's latest album. What a jewel of music.
After the Last Sky - ECM Records
Eight years after Blue Maqams, Anouar Brahem returns with a poignant project, titled after a line of verse by poet Mahmoud Darwish, which asks “Where should the birds fly, after the last sky?” Gracefu...
ecmrecords.com
November 15, 2025 at 3:38 AM
I predict this will be wildly successful. Just like that other famous metric of worker performance: lines of code.
Meta is about to start grading workers on their AI skills
Meta employee performance will be assessed by AI-driven impact starting in 2026, as the company prioritizes AI adoption across its workforce.
www.businessinsider.com
November 15, 2025 at 2:53 AM
Once again, The Onion wraps around to become real news.
Chuck Schumer Helps Pull Democrats Back From Brink Of Courage
November 10, 2025 at 3:12 PM
To paraphrase: AI will become conscious because we will be duped into using the word "consciousness" to describe it.

I eyerolled so hard I think I did myself an injury.
Opinion | A.I. Is Already Intelligent. This Is How It Becomes Conscious.
www.nytimes.com
November 8, 2025 at 8:45 PM
What a joy to read the words of present heroes about the music of heroes past.
5 Minutes That Will Make You Love Alto Saxophone
www.nytimes.com
November 8, 2025 at 7:29 PM
Avrana Kern has entered the chatroom.

(h.t. @aptshadow.bsky.social's outstanding Children of Time series, of which I'm currently in the middle of book 3.)
My favorite comment on the FT story
November 6, 2025 at 10:53 PM
Reposted by Aaron D'Souza
Jack DeJohnette, just one of the deepest musicians ever, and a personal hero. Here is my obituary for NPR Music.
Jack DeJohnette, dynamic and instantly recognizable jazz drummer, dies at 83
Jack DeJohnette, of the most daring and singular jazz drummers of the last 60 years, died on Sunday.
www.npr.org
October 27, 2025 at 3:20 PM
Today's soundtrack will heavily feature this blistering album, in remembrance of the master whose drumming underpins its energy, and whose foresight preserved the recording itself.

RIP Master DeJohnette.
McCoy Tyner & Joe Henderson - Forces Of Nature: Live At Slugs’ - Blue Note Records
If the digital album is purchased, you will receive the full album via email on November 22nd, 2024.Standard digital downloads are delivered as MP3 44.1khz/24-bit audio files.Please note, digital down...
store.bluenote.com
October 27, 2025 at 2:24 PM
LOL
Replacement.AI
Humans are no longer necessary. So we’re getting rid of them.
replacement.ai
October 20, 2025 at 4:44 AM
Well *this* weekend's cooking is going to be fun AF.
October 19, 2025 at 11:25 PM
Unix fan, tweaked hex to get in-game resources, jazz musician, emacs/vi user, loves Scheme.

Thomas Morgan may be my perfect spirit animal. I can't wait to hear his debut as a leader.
October 14, 2025 at 4:18 PM
Lesson #\infty on shooting one's own foot:
Nearly 20 Percent Fewer International Students Traveled to the U.S. in August
The data shows the steepest decline in August international student arrivals since the pandemic.
www.nytimes.com
October 6, 2025 at 4:45 PM
Obed Calvaire is a legend. The Haitian repository of musical traditions is a deep, deep wellspring.
Gaya K'ow!
YouTube video by Obed Calvaire
youtu.be
October 1, 2025 at 4:32 PM
FFS you guys, this timeline broke Randall.
Could we survive eating only humans?

Watch the latest What If? video collaboration with @minuteearth.bsky.social!

youtu.be/PUtI3xoaHx0
Could we survive eating only humans?
YouTube video by xkcd's What If?
youtu.be
September 30, 2025 at 11:17 PM
Sure, guardrails imposed by government are often flawed, but we've seen over and over again that unfettered capitalism will not police itself. I'll take the flawed guardrails and do my best to make them less flawed.
Video: Opinion | Joseph Gordon-Levitt: Meta’s A.I. Chatbot Is Dangerous for Kids
Mark Zuckerberg has a vision for how A.I. could be used in Meta’s universe. But the actor and filmmaker Joseph Gordon-Levitt is here to point out a flaw in the technology: an apparent lack of guardrai...
www.nytimes.com
September 30, 2025 at 2:31 PM
Reposted by Aaron D'Souza
Thread
1/ A longtime Wired editor just wrote a mush-brained essay about how he totally missed the political rot of Silicon Valley (& still doesn't get it).

But in the late 1990s, a Wired journalist warned of a toxic ideology bubbling up from tech. Paulina Borsook has largely been erased. Let's change that
September 25, 2025 at 10:03 AM
Reposted by Aaron D'Souza
Not far into the early set at The Village Vanguard on Thursday night, I had a wildly irresponsible thought: at this moment, the Miguel Zenón Quartet might actually be the best band in the world.
Vanguardia Subterránea
The Miguel Zenón Quartet levitates the underground
open.substack.com
September 20, 2025 at 10:05 AM
Nate Smith's new album is all 🔥🥁🎵
LIVE-ACTION, by Nate Smith
10 track album
waterbabymusic.bandcamp.com
September 19, 2025 at 11:54 AM
This beer pub comes WITH ITS OWN CAT.

Her name is Amber (I mean, obv.)

Also, the glass on the counter (right above the laptop because LET'S TEMPT FATE) has a sign next to it that says "Amber's drink".

This vacation is awesome.
September 5, 2025 at 5:45 PM
How you know you married the right person: She makes a special map of places in Amsterdam that sell HATS and CHEESE ♥️.
September 2, 2025 at 11:21 AM
Reposted by Aaron D'Souza
Over on Whatever today, I write on the Pixel 10 Pro's "Pro-Res Zoom" and how that "AI"-generated zoom feature is not creating photos, but illustrations, some of which have not much to do with actual reality, and what that means for taking photos with the phone:

whatever.scalzi.com/2025/08/29/p...
Pictures, Not Photos: What’s Going On With the Pixel 10 Pro “Pro-Res Zoom”
For the new release of the Pixel 10 Pro (and the 10 Pro XL, which is mostly the same phone, just larger), Google has introduced something called the “Pro-Res Zoom,” a process by which, …
whatever.scalzi.com
August 29, 2025 at 5:47 PM
There is no better end to a week than new music released by Miguel Zenón.
Vanguardia Subterránea: Live at The Village Vanguard, by Miguel Zenón Quartet
8 track album
miguelzenon.bandcamp.com
August 29, 2025 at 2:37 PM