Austin Okray
@austinokray.bsky.social
Data scientist, photographer, occasional climber
Data Science, MS - SUNY Buffalo
Computer Science, BS - University of Wyoming
Data Science, MS - SUNY Buffalo
Computer Science, BS - University of Wyoming
The consistent framing of "AI does X" seems to feed into the sentiment "The Great and Powerful AI is here!!". I know headlines/retweets/etc. have character limits that restrict them from putting the full context, but this framing makes it hard to have rational discussions about AI with non-experts.
Scientists have used artificial intelligence to create an enzyme that can eat one of the toughest plastics on Earth. The enzyme breaks polyurethane down into reusable chemicals in just 12 hours at 50°C, turning it back into raw materials. Truly circular recycling. buff.ly/oUxRjjl #ShareGoodNewsToo
Neural network finds an enzyme that can break down polyurethane
Given a dozen hours, the enzyme can turn a foam pad into reusable chemicals.
buff.ly
January 13, 2026 at 10:57 PM
The consistent framing of "AI does X" seems to feed into the sentiment "The Great and Powerful AI is here!!". I know headlines/retweets/etc. have character limits that restrict them from putting the full context, but this framing makes it hard to have rational discussions about AI with non-experts.
Reposted by Austin Okray
just imagining this "tools make discovery" frame applied to historic scientific achievements
"Bread discovers miracle mold"
"Kite finds lightning is actually electricity"
"Bread discovers miracle mold"
"Kite finds lightning is actually electricity"
Scientists have used artificial intelligence to create an enzyme that can eat one of the toughest plastics on Earth. The enzyme breaks polyurethane down into reusable chemicals in just 12 hours at 50°C, turning it back into raw materials. Truly circular recycling. buff.ly/oUxRjjl #ShareGoodNewsToo
Neural network finds an enzyme that can break down polyurethane
Given a dozen hours, the enzyme can turn a foam pad into reusable chemicals.
buff.ly
January 13, 2026 at 4:03 PM
just imagining this "tools make discovery" frame applied to historic scientific achievements
"Bread discovers miracle mold"
"Kite finds lightning is actually electricity"
"Bread discovers miracle mold"
"Kite finds lightning is actually electricity"
Reposted by Austin Okray
We introduce epiplexity, a new measure of information that provides a foundation for how to select, generate, or transform data for learning systems. We have been working on this for almost 2 years, and I cannot contain my excitement! arxiv.org/abs/2601.03220 1/7
January 7, 2026 at 5:28 PM
We introduce epiplexity, a new measure of information that provides a foundation for how to select, generate, or transform data for learning systems. We have been working on this for almost 2 years, and I cannot contain my excitement! arxiv.org/abs/2601.03220 1/7
Reposted by Austin Okray
3D printed Song Sparrow finished!
November 21, 2025 at 1:33 AM
3D printed Song Sparrow finished!
Reposted by Austin Okray
October 31, 2025 at 6:47 PM
Reposted by Austin Okray
Excited to introduce Vibes from Meta. Eat your slop, piggies!
September 30, 2025 at 5:59 PM
Excited to introduce Vibes from Meta. Eat your slop, piggies!
Reposted by Austin Okray
Blue Apron didn't give us the chicken that was supposed to come with this, but life finds a way
September 27, 2025 at 10:32 PM
Blue Apron didn't give us the chicken that was supposed to come with this, but life finds a way
Reposted by Austin Okray
This horse from the desert DOES have a name–Equus Scotti 🐎 🏜️
This #IceAge #fossil horse from Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument lived during a time when Nevada was much cooler and wetter than it is now.
Explore the 3D model: bit.ly/equus-jaw-tule-springs
#FossilFriday #NPS #Paleontology
This #IceAge #fossil horse from Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument lived during a time when Nevada was much cooler and wetter than it is now.
Explore the 3D model: bit.ly/equus-jaw-tule-springs
#FossilFriday #NPS #Paleontology
September 26, 2025 at 5:28 PM
This horse from the desert DOES have a name–Equus Scotti 🐎 🏜️
This #IceAge #fossil horse from Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument lived during a time when Nevada was much cooler and wetter than it is now.
Explore the 3D model: bit.ly/equus-jaw-tule-springs
#FossilFriday #NPS #Paleontology
This #IceAge #fossil horse from Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument lived during a time when Nevada was much cooler and wetter than it is now.
Explore the 3D model: bit.ly/equus-jaw-tule-springs
#FossilFriday #NPS #Paleontology
Reposted by Austin Okray
I assume this is a picture of Jensen Huang is shooting GPUs into the audience.
I haven't read the article, and don't want anyone to tell me I am wrong. I won't believe you anyway.
I haven't read the article, and don't want anyone to tell me I am wrong. I won't believe you anyway.
Nvidia's relentless development cycle has resulted in enormous profits for the company, which brought in $41.1 billion in data center sales in its most recent quarter.
Nvidia unveils new GPU designed for long-context inference | TechCrunch
Nvidia's relentless development cycle has resulted in enormous profits for the company, which brought in $41.1 billion in data center sales in its most recent quarter.
techcrunch.com
September 9, 2025 at 5:39 PM
I assume this is a picture of Jensen Huang is shooting GPUs into the audience.
I haven't read the article, and don't want anyone to tell me I am wrong. I won't believe you anyway.
I haven't read the article, and don't want anyone to tell me I am wrong. I won't believe you anyway.
Reposted by Austin Okray
Wanna chat with an experienced learning theory researcher? We have open office hours online with four awesome folks, Surbhi Goel (@surbhigoel.bsky.social), Gautam Kamath (@gautamkamath.com), Ayush Sekhari, and Lydia Zakynthinou)!
Book a slot and ask them anything!
let-all.com/officehours....
Book a slot and ask them anything!
let-all.com/officehours....
September 8, 2025 at 4:26 PM
Wanna chat with an experienced learning theory researcher? We have open office hours online with four awesome folks, Surbhi Goel (@surbhigoel.bsky.social), Gautam Kamath (@gautamkamath.com), Ayush Sekhari, and Lydia Zakynthinou)!
Book a slot and ask them anything!
let-all.com/officehours....
Book a slot and ask them anything!
let-all.com/officehours....
Reposted by Austin Okray
woah this is genuinely, utterly WILD
Ant queens of one species produce males of another species, so she can then mate with them and produce hybrid workers!
This is so gloriously weird I can't quite compute it 🤯🧪🐜
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Ant queens of one species produce males of another species, so she can then mate with them and produce hybrid workers!
This is so gloriously weird I can't quite compute it 🤯🧪🐜
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
‘Almost unimaginable’: these ants are different species but share a mother
Ant queens of one species clone ants of another to create hybrid workers that do their bidding.
www.nature.com
September 3, 2025 at 10:09 PM
woah this is genuinely, utterly WILD
Ant queens of one species produce males of another species, so she can then mate with them and produce hybrid workers!
This is so gloriously weird I can't quite compute it 🤯🧪🐜
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Ant queens of one species produce males of another species, so she can then mate with them and produce hybrid workers!
This is so gloriously weird I can't quite compute it 🤯🧪🐜
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Reposted by Austin Okray
8 cool US mammals that few people know and even fewer have seen. Here's where to go on a critter quest to find them. #mammalwatching
8 Cool US Mammals You Haven’t Seen
Search for these cool but cryptic mammals across the United States.
blog.nature.org
September 4, 2025 at 7:57 PM
8 cool US mammals that few people know and even fewer have seen. Here's where to go on a critter quest to find them. #mammalwatching
Reposted by Austin Okray
![3-panel comic. (1) [two people laying on the grass on a curved surface, oriented vertically] PERSON 1: I don’t like being stuck to this orb, but I guess falling off would be worse. (2) [the surface has rotated slightly] PERSON 2: I wouldn’t mind if it pulled a little less hard, though. I have places to be. I shouldn’t just lie around in the grass. (3) [the surface has rotated a little further] PERSON 1: Maybe the pull will weaken if you wait a little longer. PERSON 2: Good idea. I’ll give it another five minutes.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:cz73r7iyiqn26upot4jtjdhk/bafkreialozggxrphnx7hphjslr736vy2qrl2qn2j6szyouhgbsd3eqwhfi@jpeg)
Reposted by Austin Okray
Delighted to announce I have joined the board of the Association for Computational Learning (ACL) as Diversity and Inclusion Officer!
With your help, let's strive to make the learning theory conferences and community more inclusive and welcoming to all!
ACL website: learningtheory.org
With your help, let's strive to make the learning theory conferences and community more inclusive and welcoming to all!
ACL website: learningtheory.org
Association for Computational Learning (ACL)
learningtheory.org
September 2, 2025 at 11:01 PM
Delighted to announce I have joined the board of the Association for Computational Learning (ACL) as Diversity and Inclusion Officer!
With your help, let's strive to make the learning theory conferences and community more inclusive and welcoming to all!
ACL website: learningtheory.org
With your help, let's strive to make the learning theory conferences and community more inclusive and welcoming to all!
ACL website: learningtheory.org
Reposted by Austin Okray
> See laptop is running slow
> Check processes, notice that Zoom is taking up 300% CPU
> Kill Zoom process
> Immediately drop from the Zoom meeting I was in
Why am I like this?
> Check processes, notice that Zoom is taking up 300% CPU
> Kill Zoom process
> Immediately drop from the Zoom meeting I was in
Why am I like this?
September 2, 2025 at 4:16 PM
> See laptop is running slow
> Check processes, notice that Zoom is taking up 300% CPU
> Kill Zoom process
> Immediately drop from the Zoom meeting I was in
Why am I like this?
> Check processes, notice that Zoom is taking up 300% CPU
> Kill Zoom process
> Immediately drop from the Zoom meeting I was in
Why am I like this?
Reposted by Austin Okray
Who doesn't need a remote-controlled badger?
Remote-Controlled Badger Helps Study Prairie Dog Alarm Calls
Researchers in Montana use a taxidermied badger and remote-control car to show how long-billed curlews listen in on prairie dog alarm calls.
blog.nature.org
August 26, 2025 at 2:58 PM
Who doesn't need a remote-controlled badger?
Reposted by Austin Okray
“A major report for government by Deloitte is littered with citation errors prompting concern it may have been generated by AI, but the consultancy claims it merely got the titles and, in some cases, dates and publishers incorrect.”
Oh. "Just" the titles, dates, publishers?
Oh. "Just" the titles, dates, publishers?
Academics raise alarm over suspected AI use in Deloitte report www.afr.com/companies/pr...
Academics raise alarm over suspected AI use in Deloitte report
The university staff members say there were numerous citation errors in the report on the automation of welfare penalties.
www.afr.com
August 26, 2025 at 12:38 AM
“A major report for government by Deloitte is littered with citation errors prompting concern it may have been generated by AI, but the consultancy claims it merely got the titles and, in some cases, dates and publishers incorrect.”
Oh. "Just" the titles, dates, publishers?
Oh. "Just" the titles, dates, publishers?
Reposted by Austin Okray
Really sweet stuff here; makes you wonder whether there are other similar combinatorial tricks that could be used in the same context.
"Fast Computation of Leave-One-Out Cross-Validation for
k-NN Regression"
- Motonobu Kanagawa
openreview.net/forum?id=SBE...
"Fast Computation of Leave-One-Out Cross-Validation for
k-NN Regression"
- Motonobu Kanagawa
openreview.net/forum?id=SBE...
August 21, 2025 at 8:08 PM
Really sweet stuff here; makes you wonder whether there are other similar combinatorial tricks that could be used in the same context.
"Fast Computation of Leave-One-Out Cross-Validation for
k-NN Regression"
- Motonobu Kanagawa
openreview.net/forum?id=SBE...
"Fast Computation of Leave-One-Out Cross-Validation for
k-NN Regression"
- Motonobu Kanagawa
openreview.net/forum?id=SBE...
Reposted by Austin Okray
Sorry, it's the trauma
August 18, 2025 at 3:48 AM
Sorry, it's the trauma
Reposted by Austin Okray
New ChatGPT data just dropped
August 7, 2025 at 11:29 PM
New ChatGPT data just dropped
Reposted by Austin Okray
GPT-5 is so amazing it can make 52.8 higher than 69.1 on a bar chart
It can even make 69.1 and 30.8 THE SAME SIZE
It can even make 69.1 and 30.8 THE SAME SIZE
August 7, 2025 at 5:08 PM
GPT-5 is so amazing it can make 52.8 higher than 69.1 on a bar chart
It can even make 69.1 and 30.8 THE SAME SIZE
It can even make 69.1 and 30.8 THE SAME SIZE
Reposted by Austin Okray
“Beyond Averages: Measuring Consistency and Volatility in NBA Player and Team Offense”
statmodeling.stat.columbia.edu/2025/08/06/b...
statmodeling.stat.columbia.edu/2025/08/06/b...
“Beyond Averages: Measuring Consistency and Volatility in NBA Player and Team Offense” | Statistical Modeling, Causal Inference, and Social Science
statmodeling.stat.columbia.edu
August 6, 2025 at 7:35 PM
“Beyond Averages: Measuring Consistency and Volatility in NBA Player and Team Offense”
statmodeling.stat.columbia.edu/2025/08/06/b...
statmodeling.stat.columbia.edu/2025/08/06/b...
Reposted by Austin Okray
Colorado’s groundbreaking law provides a range of common-sense, baseline transparency and accountability requirements for the use of AI in consequential decisions such as housing and employment.
Colorado governor calls special legislative session to deal with nearly $1B budget hole, artificial intelligence law
Colorado governor calls special legislative session to deal with nearly $1B budget hole, artificial intelligence law
Lawmakers will return to the Capitol on Aug. 21 mainly to deal with the effects of the so-called big, beautiful bill, congressional Republicans’ federal tax and spending measure. They’ll also debate...
coloradosun.com
August 6, 2025 at 9:03 PM
Colorado’s groundbreaking law provides a range of common-sense, baseline transparency and accountability requirements for the use of AI in consequential decisions such as housing and employment.
Reposted by Austin Okray
Look at how exercising close to bedtime can destroy your sleep quality.
August 5, 2025 at 8:15 PM
Look at how exercising close to bedtime can destroy your sleep quality.
Reposted by Austin Okray
