Darrin Durant
@darrinadurant.bsky.social
Associate Professor of Science & Policy @ University of Melbourne. Writes about experts, democracy, policy-making, disinfo, nuclear power & climate politics.
The ‘About this Account’ feature on X reveals 1/2 of online MAGA = foreign trolls/bots & that X is:
- a “worthless, poisoned hall of mirrors”?
- “Post-truthification [where] nothing is true and everything is possible”?
- it’s a “Russian nesting doll of bullshit”?
www.theatlantic.com/technology/2...
- a “worthless, poisoned hall of mirrors”?
- “Post-truthification [where] nothing is true and everything is possible”?
- it’s a “Russian nesting doll of bullshit”?
www.theatlantic.com/technology/2...
Elon Musk’s Worthless, Poisoned Hall of Mirrors
How X blew up its own platform with a new location feature
www.theatlantic.com
November 24, 2025 at 8:37 PM
The ‘About this Account’ feature on X reveals 1/2 of online MAGA = foreign trolls/bots & that X is:
- a “worthless, poisoned hall of mirrors”?
- “Post-truthification [where] nothing is true and everything is possible”?
- it’s a “Russian nesting doll of bullshit”?
www.theatlantic.com/technology/2...
- a “worthless, poisoned hall of mirrors”?
- “Post-truthification [where] nothing is true and everything is possible”?
- it’s a “Russian nesting doll of bullshit”?
www.theatlantic.com/technology/2...
Australia’s social media ban for > 16’s starts 10 Dec ‘25. Does algorithmic opacity, inferential profiling & information asymmetry (@frankpasquale.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy) render ‘we can fix it’ (@crikey.com.au) unicorn thinking?
www.crikey.com.au/2025/11/10/f...
www.crikey.com.au/2025/11/10/f...
November 24, 2025 at 2:00 AM
Australia’s social media ban for > 16’s starts 10 Dec ‘25. Does algorithmic opacity, inferential profiling & information asymmetry (@frankpasquale.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy) render ‘we can fix it’ (@crikey.com.au) unicorn thinking?
www.crikey.com.au/2025/11/10/f...
www.crikey.com.au/2025/11/10/f...
Australia’s university system has somehow managed to devolve: from a free to an affordable education, but recently toward an inequitable and unfair funding scheme based on poor assumptions about both students and jobs.
theconversation.com/how-did-aust...
theconversation.com/how-did-aust...
How did Australian universities go from free education to $50,000 arts degrees in 50 years?
Thanks to the Job Ready Graduates scheme, an arts degree today will cost over $50,000. How have five decades of government policy taken us from free education to this?
theconversation.com
November 13, 2025 at 5:21 AM
Australia’s university system has somehow managed to devolve: from a free to an affordable education, but recently toward an inequitable and unfair funding scheme based on poor assumptions about both students and jobs.
theconversation.com/how-did-aust...
theconversation.com/how-did-aust...
Reposted by Darrin Durant
I reckon the most interesting subset of discourse here is when presumed [good] factors are actually either actually bad, or there to downplay or dismiss the bad even if the amount of good is way smaller than the bad.
A short thread to explain: on "training for electrification" + "demand response"
A short thread to explain: on "training for electrification" + "demand response"
I would love it if public discourse on data centers could be just a skosh more sophisticated than "data centers good vs. data centers bad."
November 7, 2025 at 12:19 PM
I reckon the most interesting subset of discourse here is when presumed [good] factors are actually either actually bad, or there to downplay or dismiss the bad even if the amount of good is way smaller than the bad.
A short thread to explain: on "training for electrification" + "demand response"
A short thread to explain: on "training for electrification" + "demand response"
Nuclear power is a poor fit with renewables.
montelnews.com/news/1ea628e...
montelnews.com/news/1ea628e...
November 2, 2025 at 11:37 AM
Nuclear power is a poor fit with renewables.
montelnews.com/news/1ea628e...
montelnews.com/news/1ea628e...
Nuclear power is a poor fit with renewables.
montelnews.com/news/1ea628e...
montelnews.com/news/1ea628e...
November 2, 2025 at 11:37 AM
Nuclear power is a poor fit with renewables.
montelnews.com/news/1ea628e...
montelnews.com/news/1ea628e...
Reposted by Darrin Durant
There’s a sort of Dunning-Kruger effect happening where people who read widely, consider various perspectives, and put in effort to understand views they disagree with worry that they don’t do that enough, while people who don’t do any of that accuse others of being in a bubble and call it a day.
November 1, 2025 at 4:29 PM
There’s a sort of Dunning-Kruger effect happening where people who read widely, consider various perspectives, and put in effort to understand views they disagree with worry that they don’t do that enough, while people who don’t do any of that accuse others of being in a bubble and call it a day.
When Buzz Aldrin replied “it never happened” in response to whether “anything scary” happened during his moon landing, Kim Kardashian thought he was referring to the growth of her brain.
#moonlanding
#nasa
#moonlanding
#nasa
November 1, 2025 at 6:11 AM
When Buzz Aldrin replied “it never happened” in response to whether “anything scary” happened during his moon landing, Kim Kardashian thought he was referring to the growth of her brain.
#moonlanding
#nasa
#moonlanding
#nasa
When Trump refers to resuming nuclear weapons testing ‘on an equal basis’, he just means the USA, Russia & China are already the big outliers vis-a-vis the Comprehensive Nuclear-Ban-Treaty and he is committed to keeping it that way.
October 30, 2025 at 7:00 AM
When Trump refers to resuming nuclear weapons testing ‘on an equal basis’, he just means the USA, Russia & China are already the big outliers vis-a-vis the Comprehensive Nuclear-Ban-Treaty and he is committed to keeping it that way.
Reposted by Darrin Durant
notes on gatesnotes, in a thread
"A new way to look at the problem" - er, no, he's been running this line for DECADES
On the headline: you can absolutely guarantee anyone presenting themselves as telling tough, hard truths is about to deliver some self-aggrandising nonsense
"A new way to look at the problem" - er, no, he's been running this line for DECADES
On the headline: you can absolutely guarantee anyone presenting themselves as telling tough, hard truths is about to deliver some self-aggrandising nonsense
October 29, 2025 at 7:34 PM
notes on gatesnotes, in a thread
"A new way to look at the problem" - er, no, he's been running this line for DECADES
On the headline: you can absolutely guarantee anyone presenting themselves as telling tough, hard truths is about to deliver some self-aggrandising nonsense
"A new way to look at the problem" - er, no, he's been running this line for DECADES
On the headline: you can absolutely guarantee anyone presenting themselves as telling tough, hard truths is about to deliver some self-aggrandising nonsense
Just imagine the Australian Coalition opposition as an AI undergoing “model collapse”, where AI’s trained on the output of other AI’s become dumber, disconnected from reality & forgetful of established knowledge.
October 28, 2025 at 10:34 PM
Just imagine the Australian Coalition opposition as an AI undergoing “model collapse”, where AI’s trained on the output of other AI’s become dumber, disconnected from reality & forgetful of established knowledge.
Reposted by Darrin Durant
In a 2024 paper criticizing the 'billion-dollar-disasters' database, Roger Pielke Jr. published analysis that is best described as a Russian-doll of errors.
Here's my in-depth take down of his appallingly bad work.
economicsfromthetopdown.com/2025/10/26/r...
Here's my in-depth take down of his appallingly bad work.
economicsfromthetopdown.com/2025/10/26/r...
Roger Pielke Jr.’s Appallingly Bad Analysis of Billion Dollar Disasters – Economics from the Top Down
In a recent paper called Scientific integrity and U.S. “Billion Dollar Disasters”, Roger Pielke Jr. published a chart that's so bad I've devoted a whole essay to debunking it.
economicsfromthetopdown.com
October 26, 2025 at 3:24 PM
In a 2024 paper criticizing the 'billion-dollar-disasters' database, Roger Pielke Jr. published analysis that is best described as a Russian-doll of errors.
Here's my in-depth take down of his appallingly bad work.
economicsfromthetopdown.com/2025/10/26/r...
Here's my in-depth take down of his appallingly bad work.
economicsfromthetopdown.com/2025/10/26/r...
Reposted by Darrin Durant
How many classes today were canceled because a whole suite of EdTech services are built atop AWS?
You know what platform never crashes?
You know what platform never crashes?
October 20, 2025 at 4:19 PM
How many classes today were canceled because a whole suite of EdTech services are built atop AWS?
You know what platform never crashes?
You know what platform never crashes?
“It is hard to imagine an achievement more worthy of a Nobel Peace Prize”.
NOT. Talking military action against Greenland, Canada, Panama & his fellow Americans fails the criteria?
1) fraternity b/w nations
2) abolition or reduction of standing armies
3) formation & spreading of peace congresses.
NOT. Talking military action against Greenland, Canada, Panama & his fellow Americans fails the criteria?
1) fraternity b/w nations
2) abolition or reduction of standing armies
3) formation & spreading of peace congresses.
October 9, 2025 at 6:16 AM
“It is hard to imagine an achievement more worthy of a Nobel Peace Prize”.
NOT. Talking military action against Greenland, Canada, Panama & his fellow Americans fails the criteria?
1) fraternity b/w nations
2) abolition or reduction of standing armies
3) formation & spreading of peace congresses.
NOT. Talking military action against Greenland, Canada, Panama & his fellow Americans fails the criteria?
1) fraternity b/w nations
2) abolition or reduction of standing armies
3) formation & spreading of peace congresses.
Sargent’s suggestion that the Trump Regime is manufacturing a crisis by exploiting the attention economy fits well with accounts of modern fascism as growing out of late capitalism & the spectacle society.
@gregsargent.bsky.social
@timothysnyder.bsky.social
newrepublic.com/article/2014...
@gregsargent.bsky.social
@timothysnyder.bsky.social
newrepublic.com/article/2014...
October 8, 2025 at 11:16 PM
Sargent’s suggestion that the Trump Regime is manufacturing a crisis by exploiting the attention economy fits well with accounts of modern fascism as growing out of late capitalism & the spectacle society.
@gregsargent.bsky.social
@timothysnyder.bsky.social
newrepublic.com/article/2014...
@gregsargent.bsky.social
@timothysnyder.bsky.social
newrepublic.com/article/2014...
Reposted by Darrin Durant
Finally! 🤩 Our position piece: Against the Uncritical Adoption of 'AI' Technologies in Academia:
doi.org/10.5281/zeno...
We unpick the tech industry’s marketing, hype, & harm; and we argue for safeguarding higher education, critical
thinking, expertise, academic freedom, & scientific integrity.
1/n
doi.org/10.5281/zeno...
We unpick the tech industry’s marketing, hype, & harm; and we argue for safeguarding higher education, critical
thinking, expertise, academic freedom, & scientific integrity.
1/n
September 6, 2025 at 8:13 AM
Finally! 🤩 Our position piece: Against the Uncritical Adoption of 'AI' Technologies in Academia:
doi.org/10.5281/zeno...
We unpick the tech industry’s marketing, hype, & harm; and we argue for safeguarding higher education, critical
thinking, expertise, academic freedom, & scientific integrity.
1/n
doi.org/10.5281/zeno...
We unpick the tech industry’s marketing, hype, & harm; and we argue for safeguarding higher education, critical
thinking, expertise, academic freedom, & scientific integrity.
1/n
Reposted by Darrin Durant
JB Pritzker and Gavin Newsom are doing something new and important: They understand Stephen Miller's theory of fascist power politics, and they've developed a theory on how to combat it. More Dems need to reckon with Miller's understanding of the moment.
New from me:
newrepublic.com/article/2014...
New from me:
newrepublic.com/article/2014...
Inside Stephen Miller’s Secret Plan to Normalize Trump’s Dictator Rule
He wants to supercharge searing civil tensions to get low-information voters to embrace their inner authoritarian. Exactly two Democrats appear to fully grasp this.
newrepublic.com
October 8, 2025 at 11:41 AM
JB Pritzker and Gavin Newsom are doing something new and important: They understand Stephen Miller's theory of fascist power politics, and they've developed a theory on how to combat it. More Dems need to reckon with Miller's understanding of the moment.
New from me:
newrepublic.com/article/2014...
New from me:
newrepublic.com/article/2014...
Like the debate in statistics that cautions against precision obscuring significance, fine if you want to call the Trump Regime illiberal democracy. But it includes fascist elements: threat othering, conspiracy thinking, truth delegitimization. Maybe substantive significance trumps precision here?
October 5, 2025 at 2:37 AM
Like the debate in statistics that cautions against precision obscuring significance, fine if you want to call the Trump Regime illiberal democracy. But it includes fascist elements: threat othering, conspiracy thinking, truth delegitimization. Maybe substantive significance trumps precision here?
“AI is the asbestos we are shoveling into the walls of our society and our descendants will be digging it out for generations”.
- Cory Doctorow.
pluralistic.net/2025/05/27/r...
- Cory Doctorow.
pluralistic.net/2025/05/27/r...
Pluralistic: AI turns Amazon coders into Amazon warehouse workers (27 May 2025) – Pluralistic: Daily links from Cory Doctorow
pluralistic.net
September 30, 2025 at 12:44 AM
“AI is the asbestos we are shoveling into the walls of our society and our descendants will be digging it out for generations”.
- Cory Doctorow.
pluralistic.net/2025/05/27/r...
- Cory Doctorow.
pluralistic.net/2025/05/27/r...
It is more expensive for Finland (w/ 41% nuclear share of electricity) to prioritize nuclear over RE expansion but the Australian pro-nuclear lobby thinks it cheaper to go nuclear over RE despite Oz having 0% nuclear.
When you don’t need a study.
When you don’t need a study.
1/ New @lut.fi study in collaboration with European partners finds prioritising nuclear power expansion over renewable energy (RE) leads to 71–84% higher annual system costs in Finland by 2050 compared to a cost-optimised RE system. doi.org/10.1016/j.en...
September 27, 2025 at 11:26 PM
It is more expensive for Finland (w/ 41% nuclear share of electricity) to prioritize nuclear over RE expansion but the Australian pro-nuclear lobby thinks it cheaper to go nuclear over RE despite Oz having 0% nuclear.
When you don’t need a study.
When you don’t need a study.
Painting the battling of online disinformation as a ‘censorship industrial complex’ is exactly what the right wing propaganda industry wants you to think.
www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
Inside the hidden conservative network bankrolling an "ecosystem" of right-wing news
John Solomon's Informing America set out to create an echo chamber to shape public opinion. It's working.
www.motherjones.com
September 27, 2025 at 11:06 PM
Painting the battling of online disinformation as a ‘censorship industrial complex’ is exactly what the right wing propaganda industry wants you to think.
www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
Trump seeks arrest over Escalatorgate? What is the charge? “Walking oneself upstairs is a social injustice”?
September 25, 2025 at 9:59 AM
Trump seeks arrest over Escalatorgate? What is the charge? “Walking oneself upstairs is a social injustice”?
Dear Brett, tell us you don’t know the difference between opposing hate speech and censorship without telling us …
September 25, 2025 at 7:44 AM
Dear Brett, tell us you don’t know the difference between opposing hate speech and censorship without telling us …
AI inevitably hallucinates and lacks the humility to admit uncertainty.
Every “but humans make mistakes” answer hallucinates a social world where we forget AI systems are being sold as decision-makers free of human fallibility.
www.computerworld.com/article/4059...
Every “but humans make mistakes” answer hallucinates a social world where we forget AI systems are being sold as decision-makers free of human fallibility.
www.computerworld.com/article/4059...
OpenAI admits AI hallucinations are mathematically inevitable, not just engineering flaws
In a landmark study, OpenAI researchers reveal that large language models will always produce plausible but false outputs, even with perfect data, due to fundamental statistical and computational limi...
www.computerworld.com
September 22, 2025 at 2:38 AM
AI inevitably hallucinates and lacks the humility to admit uncertainty.
Every “but humans make mistakes” answer hallucinates a social world where we forget AI systems are being sold as decision-makers free of human fallibility.
www.computerworld.com/article/4059...
Every “but humans make mistakes” answer hallucinates a social world where we forget AI systems are being sold as decision-makers free of human fallibility.
www.computerworld.com/article/4059...
Yes, Kirk Hagiography is pretext for authoritarian repression of the entire “left”. But it’s also hagiography to say Kirk would disapprove of the campaign against free speech: he started Professors Watchlist to harass, intimate & attempt to fire critics.
www.insidehighered.com/opinion/colu...
www.insidehighered.com/opinion/colu...
September 19, 2025 at 10:30 PM
Yes, Kirk Hagiography is pretext for authoritarian repression of the entire “left”. But it’s also hagiography to say Kirk would disapprove of the campaign against free speech: he started Professors Watchlist to harass, intimate & attempt to fire critics.
www.insidehighered.com/opinion/colu...
www.insidehighered.com/opinion/colu...