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Avani

@avani.bsky.social
5.2K followers 949 following 1.3K posts

ML/Systems researcher with delusions of neuroscience and cryptography. Currently @Cloudflare and Emory. Dilettante SFF writer. Fellow of Odd Salon. I like to play the drums. #vp2023 #cw2026. linktr.ee/circumviso

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Avani @avani.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
We have made a new mistake over here. My son named him "Charon" because "he is strong and gentle and likes travelling," and I couldn't argue with that.
An Indian woman holding a tiny grey kitten with greenish eyes
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Avani @avani.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Me, yesterday: I found a pool I can actually get to consistently that has open spots in Masters! Universe: Hey lol, wouldn't it be funny if you broke your tibia putting on your boots to go there?
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Avani @avani.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
This is my new favourite take on the question of "when does an AI get a soul?"
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Avani @avani.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Cool cool their OS is 9 years out of date and API KEYS ARE HARDCODED. Brilliant work from Micah.
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huck mason @tylerhuckabee.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
rip annie dillard
One of the things I know about writing is this: spend it all, shoot it, play it, lose it, all, right away, every time. Do not hoard what seems good for a later place in the book or for another book; give it, give it all, give it now. The impulse to save something good for a better place later is the signal to spend it now. Something more will arise for later, something better. These things fill from behind, from beneath, like well water. Similarly, the impulse to keep to yourself what you have learned is not only shameful, it is destructive. Anything you do not give freely and abundantly becomes lost to you. You open your safe and find ashes.
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Alexander Chee @alexanderchee.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
I have had some great teachers in this life, and she was the one who taught me what I could call the survival techniques to being a writer. I wouldn't have made it this far without her. I'm grateful to her, for her. Rest in peace, Annie.
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Matt Henderson @matthen.com · 13/09/2026
Approximating the Lorenz attractor with a chaotic leaky water wheel. The orange dot is the centre of mass of the water. It traces (a projection of) the familiar attractor as the wheel spins seemingly randomly left and right.
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Avani @avani.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Steen has also done proof and copy editing for academic papers my lab has put out. He's great at picking up context without getting lost in it!
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Avani @avani.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
I saw what's left of Dawes glacier today, and promptly ruined several strangers' vacations by showing them a photo I took from a bit further back in 2007.
Dawes glacier in 2026.  It's small and streaked with ridges from runoff.Dawes glacier in 2007.  It's at least 3x the size and the top isn't visible in the picture.
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Avani @avani.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
I spent my first 5 months out of college getting paid to play Barbie Horse Adventures, working for a former member of N.W.A.
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Emily M. Bender @emilymbender.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
A good rule of thumb: If the press release (or stenographic news reporting masquerading as journalism) says that an "AI" did something, that's deliberate obfuscation. Software doesn't do anything of its own accord, but folks sure like to talk about it as if it does: >>
buttondown.com
How to talk about "AI" without adding to the anthropomorphization
Emily M. Bender and Nanna Inie In our op-ed for Tech Policy Press ("We Need to Talk About How We Talk About 'AI'"), we made the case against the...
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Avani @avani.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Why hello Seattle. I wish I was doing more than passing through.
Photo from a car driving on the 5.  A bright rainbow is pointing towards the Seattle 5N sign.
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Avani @avani.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
For those who were at my worldcon talk: here is a far better explanation of why there was no "model going rogue".
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FLAVOR FLAV ⏰ @flavorflav.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
RIP Gloria Steinem. The world has lost a true pioneer and force for women rights,,, my deepest condolences to her family, friends, and team. Public Enemy will be forever grateful for her blessing and support of our track SHE GOT GAME. open.spotify.com/album/0BG4L6...
open.spotify.com
She Got Game - Single by Public Enemy | Spotify
Public Enemy · single · 2024 · 1 songs
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Dr. Stephanie @punkrockscience.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
How does Roman glass get those iridescent flakes? Nanolamellae. Basically, as the glass ages in alternatingly damp and dry soil, the silica in it precipitates out, then re-deposits in incredibly thin layers, which act as photonic crystal “mirrors” and result in the incredible colors.
pnas.org
Photonic crystals built by time in ancient Roman glass | PNAS
Ancient glass objects typically show distinctive effects of deterioration as a result of environmentally induced physicochemical transformations of...
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Avani @avani.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
I got to meet her at the Women's March in 2017, and even in her 80s she was still made of ferocity. What a legend.
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Avani @avani.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Coincidentally, the summer after this is when I got involved with lockpicking.
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Biyu Jade He @biyuhe.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
📣 My lab at NYU currently has two open post-doc positions. We are interested in understanding perception, thinking, and hallucinations. We employ a range of cutting-edge techniques in human neuroscience (e.g., 7T fMRI, MEG, iEEG/DES) and computational approaches (e.g., DNN modeling).
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Avani @avani.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
Not at all the obituary I wanted to read today
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Jill Lightner @jilllightner.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Street art in her honor from SE Seattle
A glittery tinsel-fringed illustrated portrait of Dolly Parton on a telephone pole. There's a cartoon voice bubble with a quote from her that says "find out who you are and do it on purpose."
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Avani @avani.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
Got my nails done for Worldcon, and all ya'll look at how great my nail artist Harry is:
2 hands with silver rings and nails with a teal cateye, unicorn chrome, and a circuit board design
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Avani @avani.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
This is more succinct than the explanations I've been giving can I steal it?
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Avani @avani.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
Semi - counter: writing is hard. Academics are not trained to write well, and frequently the time doesn't exist to write well in today's world. (Papers from the 60s, otoh, are often delightful and very clear). Formulaic, dense writing is easier.
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Avani @avani.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
I'm forever grateful to Sheila for all of her work in the science fiction community as a mentor, memory keeper, editor, and general fount of knowledge. Her kids need help paying for her recovery.
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Avani @avani.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
PSA: If you haven't moved to another search engine yet, tenbluelinks.org will help you get rid of the generated clutter on Google.
tenbluelinks.org
How to Turn Off Google AI Overview and Set "Web" as Default
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Avani @avani.bsky.social · 09/08/2026
I wondered why my hometown was on the list, then realised the first non -(white, Middle Eastern, or Asian) person I spoke to was when I went to visit colleges.
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Caræsten 🇵🇸 @cara.city · 06/08/2026
at long last we have created the Uzumaki from the famous Junji Ito manga "don't create the Uzumaki"
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Avani @avani.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
I did a podcast interview the other day where the man I was talking to was genuinely shocked that AI bias can exist in the presence of guardrails. This is a fantastic example!
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Avani @avani.bsky.social · 02/08/2026
Take a scrolling break and read this
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Avani @avani.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
Mistakes have been made. This is where to go to watch me self-combust at Worldcon this year.
Worldcon schedule: 

Thursday, August 27, 2026
12:00

Free Will: Well? Do We Have Free Will or Not?
260C (ACC North),Starts: 12:00Duration: 60 mins
Friday, August 28, 2026
10:30

Data and Privacy: Keeping Your Data Safe
253B (ACC North),Starts: 10:30Duration: 60 mins
Saturday, August 29, 2026
10:30

Science Fiction as a Driver of Scientific Innovation
259 (ACC North),Starts: 10:30Duration: 60 mins
13:30

Is There A Man Behind The Curtain, Or Is The Internet Dead?
253B (ACC North),Starts: 13:30Duration: 60 mins
Sunday, August 30, 2026
10:30

LLMs: What They Can Do, Can't Do, and Will Do Someday
260C (ACC North),Starts: 10:30Duration: 60 mins
13:30

Grudges in Science: Science can be a tough competition
258 (ACC North),Starts: 13:30Duration: 60 mins
15:00

What Happens if We Create Truly Sentient AI?
260C (ACC North),Starts: 15:00Duration: 60 mins
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Melinda A. Lanya @sciencegeekmel.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
It's official! SING THE DOWNED BIRDS has been announced!
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B! 🐝 Cavello (they/them) @b-cavello.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
FINAL WEEK! Submit by Friday the 31st!
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Avani @avani.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
Constructing counter-examples is "easier" than developing new theoretical frameworks, but I'll admit this prompt still took the air out of my lungs.
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Timnit Gebru @timnitgebru.blacksky.app · 23/07/2026
OpenAI is doing this because Mythos got airtime thanks to the media that does press-release-as-aservice. So now, as one security engineer put it, “something which would have been an embarrassment ten years ago is now repackaged as a capability demo, a heroic AI-vs-AI story and a marketing pitch"
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Alan Baxter @alanbaxter.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
Legend. Added to personal vocabulary.
@sciencefun post from Instagram showing a photo of Fritz Zwicky. Text reads: Swiss scientist Fritz Zwicky coined the term "dark matter" which is impressive, but he also coined the term "spherical bastard" to describe people who are bastards no matter which way you look at them, and I think that should be celebrated more. 

(Also, it's true - I checked.)
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Avani @avani.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
I accidentally got a 30min 1-1 interview with Will Wright during the pre-release of Spore. I am not a journalist.
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Risa Wolf / Killerpuppytails @risawolf.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
July 14th's disabled writer is A. T. Greenblatt! Also known as @atgreenblatt.bsky.social Deets at atgreenblatt.com Award-winning writer of richly imagined worlds & amazing characters, Greenblatt has been publishing extraordinary work since 2010. More links in replies. 1/3 #DisabilityPrideMonth
atgreenblatt.com
Curiosity Sometimes Pays Off
The Domain of A. T. Greenblatt
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Allison Pottern @apottern.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
I gave out way more marketing business cards than I was expecting at #Readercon so for those who missed it, yes! In addition to writing spec fic, I also coach writers on book marketing. That means I help writers pick the best strategies to promote their work and learn the jargon to self-advocate!
A dark teal business card with the word Marketing in orange script down the left side. At the top of the card is a dense, tiny paragraph full of the different kind of marketing strategies we could discuss if you decided to work with me! Things like publicity, promotions, author events, social media, etc. Below that are the words "You've spend years crafting your book ot get it out into the world— and I've spent years helping authors market and sell theirs. Now let me help you..." and a bright yellow QR code that links to my website.
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Star Simpson @starstar.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
Note it’s höfrungur and in Icelandic ö and o are considered to be entirely different letters. I think the goat etymology is very speculative / uncertain, and might at best refer to the way each creature is capable of leaping? per wiktionary en.wiktionary.org/wiki/h%C3%B6...
en.wiktionary.org
höfrungur - Wiktionary, the free dictionary
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Avani @avani.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
Dolphins: * Greek -- delphis -- "fish with a womb" Sure, makes sense * French -- marsouin -- "sea pig" (lots of other languages too) Naturally * Indonesian -- lumba-lumba -- "the racer" They're fast, I get it. * Icelandic -- hofrungur -- from hafur, "billy goat" What the hell, Iceland?
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Avani @avani.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
I have heard the best possible dramatic reading tonight of Raymond S. Chandler's letter absolutely demolishing science fiction of the 1950s. Here is the text of a letter to his agent : "Did you ever read what they call Science Fiction? It’s a scream..." (1/n)
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Avani @avani.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
You will genuinely make my day by asking.
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Max Gladstone @maxgladstone.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
New Short Story Alert: Right now in the ebook edition of @lightspeedmagazine.com, you can read my "The Assumption of Maria". A maybe-next-week detective hunts for a vanished megachurch accountant. If you want to find someone in the LLM-poisoned Dead Internet future, you best lace up your gumshoes...
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Apex Magazine and Book Company @apexmag.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
We have decided to remove a short story from Issue 153 of Apex Magazine. After meeting with our reading and editorial teams, we'd like to share with you what happened, and importantly, how we plan to move forward from here. Thank you for sticking with us. 💜👽
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Avani @avani.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
There has been some talk about writing with a fully preserved edit history, but without necessarily putting your writing in the cloud. This is one of many reasons I've been building my own web-based word processor: wordperfector.org
wordperfector.org
Word Perfector
Distraction-free Writer
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JLRay @jlray.bsky.social · 05/07/2026
Baudrillard spinning in his grave so fast he torpedoes out of the hillside and remains airborne, lasers shooting out of his eyes with such force earth is cleanly cut in two
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Avani @avani.bsky.social · 03/07/2026
I don't need Disability Pride Month. I need building codes to reward barrier-free home construction. I need it to be illegal to keep lifts locked where stairs are not. I need venues to not move concerts upstairs last minute. Advocate for equality even if you don't need it yet!
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Ela Bambust 🏳️‍⚧️ (alleged transsexual) @ela-bambust.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
scientist being held at gunpoint by a spherical cow in a trench coat and ill-fitting fedora. the caption reads “Not so frictionless now, am I, Mr Peterson?”
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Simons Institute for the Theory of Computing @simonsinstitute.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
1/2 If data about the natural world lives in a low-dimensional hyperbolic space, then a large number of measurements embedded in a high-dimensional Euclidean space can preserve info. about the “curved inner world," said Tatyanna Sharpee, @salkinstitute.bsky.social, at the Simons Institute
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Avani @avani.bsky.social · 26/06/2026
"Cry for me, America"
Street art of an eye crying a drop of liquid with a globe in it that only depicts the Americas
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