Ary Shalizi
@unsequenced.bsky.social
Biologist, book nerd, parent, hype skeptic in no particular order.
Phenotypic screening for cell and chemical biology.
Also, random book reviews at link.
unsequenced.life
Phenotypic screening for cell and chemical biology.
Also, random book reviews at link.
unsequenced.life
Literally dialogue from ROTJ, when Obi Wan explains the whole Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader thing to Luke.
November 29, 2025 at 1:12 PM
Literally dialogue from ROTJ, when Obi Wan explains the whole Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader thing to Luke.
I thought it was about “many truths we cling to depend greatly on our own point of view.”?
November 29, 2025 at 3:19 AM
I thought it was about “many truths we cling to depend greatly on our own point of view.”?
There was a 30 minute show I remember watching as a kid called ColorSounds where they played music videos with captions that highlighted a different part of speech in each video. It’s how I learned the difference between adverbs and adjectives. It was on public television, before we got cable!
November 29, 2025 at 2:14 AM
There was a 30 minute show I remember watching as a kid called ColorSounds where they played music videos with captions that highlighted a different part of speech in each video. It’s how I learned the difference between adverbs and adjectives. It was on public television, before we got cable!
My bet would be that like impossible beef, it’s going to be about 50% higher price than the comparable animal product (at least in my area, Impossible sells 12oz packs for the same price as 16oz ground beef)
November 29, 2025 at 2:05 AM
My bet would be that like impossible beef, it’s going to be about 50% higher price than the comparable animal product (at least in my area, Impossible sells 12oz packs for the same price as 16oz ground beef)
And I would wager that it’s still probably a long shot effort. Most of the media mentions on their website are more than 2 years old.
November 29, 2025 at 2:05 AM
And I would wager that it’s still probably a long shot effort. Most of the media mentions on their website are more than 2 years old.
This is seriously the only way you could make “cultivated meat” cost-competitive with animal meat. Basically as a flavor additive to textured vegetable proteins. It would take multiple revolutionary technologies for lab meat to catch up with the regular stuff on price and carbon footprint.
November 29, 2025 at 1:59 AM
This is seriously the only way you could make “cultivated meat” cost-competitive with animal meat. Basically as a flavor additive to textured vegetable proteins. It would take multiple revolutionary technologies for lab meat to catch up with the regular stuff on price and carbon footprint.
… and one fun (older) one I found in my mom’s books just before she passed.
Designer Genes
Taking inspiration from Dave Karpf’s occasional essay series, The Future, Now and Then (which is supposed to become a book I can’t wait to read!) I started reading older books on biotec…
unsequenced.life
November 29, 2025 at 12:15 AM
… and one fun (older) one I found in my mom’s books just before she passed.
I wrote about one very bad book about biotech and AI hype that I read last year…
Superwishful thinking
tl;dr → with all the “Dire wolf” hype recently, decided to share this longish review I wrote in a fit of pique about a recent popular press book about biotechnology and AI. Read on̷…
unsequenced.life
November 29, 2025 at 12:15 AM
I wrote about one very bad book about biotech and AI hype that I read last year…
both PhD scientists who were very influential on the tech imagination, and whose work was shaped by their academic disciplines. I would also throw in Tolkien, whose worldbuilding succeeded thanks to his expertise as a linguist.
Books to Read While the World Burns, Critical AI Summer, pt. 3
Well, that’s a wrap on Critical AI Summer. August was mostly fiction that inspired or responds to tech-utopianism. It took me nearly a month to finish reviews, because I found a lot of the bo…
unsequenced.life
November 20, 2025 at 2:44 PM
both PhD scientists who were very influential on the tech imagination, and whose work was shaped by their academic disciplines. I would also throw in Tolkien, whose worldbuilding succeeded thanks to his expertise as a linguist.
Stefanos Geroulanos has a whole bit about this in his book "The Invention of Prehistory," and how the characterization of Neanderthal's changed once evidence suggested interbreeding emerged.
November 18, 2025 at 8:22 PM
Stefanos Geroulanos has a whole bit about this in his book "The Invention of Prehistory," and how the characterization of Neanderthal's changed once evidence suggested interbreeding emerged.
She explained to me,
"The first 12 years of my life were in Poland, it was nice.
"The next six years were in the camps, that was not so nice.
"Then we moved here, we didn't know anyone. But we had a good life, raised a family.
"Now it's time for someone else to have a good life here."
5/5
"The first 12 years of my life were in Poland, it was nice.
"The next six years were in the camps, that was not so nice.
"Then we moved here, we didn't know anyone. But we had a good life, raised a family.
"Now it's time for someone else to have a good life here."
5/5
November 18, 2025 at 4:06 AM
She explained to me,
"The first 12 years of my life were in Poland, it was nice.
"The next six years were in the camps, that was not so nice.
"Then we moved here, we didn't know anyone. But we had a good life, raised a family.
"Now it's time for someone else to have a good life here."
5/5
"The first 12 years of my life were in Poland, it was nice.
"The next six years were in the camps, that was not so nice.
"Then we moved here, we didn't know anyone. But we had a good life, raised a family.
"Now it's time for someone else to have a good life here."
5/5
He could tell I noticed it, and said nothing more than, "yes, that was a long time ago."
A few months later, Mrs. Gembecki invited me up for tea. She told me they were thinking of selling the place, but would arrange with the new owners for us to have a year to find a new rental.
4/n
A few months later, Mrs. Gembecki invited me up for tea. She told me they were thinking of selling the place, but would arrange with the new owners for us to have a year to find a new rental.
4/n
November 18, 2025 at 4:06 AM
He could tell I noticed it, and said nothing more than, "yes, that was a long time ago."
A few months later, Mrs. Gembecki invited me up for tea. She told me they were thinking of selling the place, but would arrange with the new owners for us to have a year to find a new rental.
4/n
A few months later, Mrs. Gembecki invited me up for tea. She told me they were thinking of selling the place, but would arrange with the new owners for us to have a year to find a new rental.
4/n
Mr. Gembecki saw me, and came down and started to help. Ms. Gembecki yelled down, "Tell him to stop, he's old. He'll catch his death of cold." Mr. Gembecki waved her off, smiling ear to ear, and kept raking. After a few minutes, he rolled up his sleeves, and I saw the serial number.
3/n
3/n
November 18, 2025 at 4:06 AM
Mr. Gembecki saw me, and came down and started to help. Ms. Gembecki yelled down, "Tell him to stop, he's old. He'll catch his death of cold." Mr. Gembecki waved her off, smiling ear to ear, and kept raking. After a few minutes, he rolled up his sleeves, and I saw the serial number.
3/n
3/n
(I'm probably not Jewish)
The place had a small backyard surrounded by maple trees.
One fall day, I decided to rake the layer of newly fallen leaves. Mrs. Gembecki saw me from her kitchen window and told me not to worry about it. I told her it was fine, I was used to raking for my parents.
2/n
The place had a small backyard surrounded by maple trees.
One fall day, I decided to rake the layer of newly fallen leaves. Mrs. Gembecki saw me from her kitchen window and told me not to worry about it. I told her it was fine, I was used to raking for my parents.
2/n
November 18, 2025 at 4:06 AM
(I'm probably not Jewish)
The place had a small backyard surrounded by maple trees.
One fall day, I decided to rake the layer of newly fallen leaves. Mrs. Gembecki saw me from her kitchen window and told me not to worry about it. I told her it was fine, I was used to raking for my parents.
2/n
The place had a small backyard surrounded by maple trees.
One fall day, I decided to rake the layer of newly fallen leaves. Mrs. Gembecki saw me from her kitchen window and told me not to worry about it. I told her it was fine, I was used to raking for my parents.
2/n