David Hsu @dhsu.bsky.social · 22/09/2026An Odyssey of Middle-Aged Pain, Hope, and Woe, All in a Single Hour. 110
David Hsu @dhsu.bsky.social · 16/09/2026The MIT report is very good, I recommend it. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/15/u...nytimes.comUniversities Sound Warnings About A.I. Even as They Embrace It (Gift Article)As A.I. upends education, university leaders have been all over the map about how to respond. It can be very confusing for students. 030
Reposted by David HsuOwen Winter @owenwntr.bsky.social · 17/06/2026Love this map of where world cup players were born umap.openstreetmap.fr/en/map/birth... 36226
David Hsu @dhsu.bsky.social · 15/06/2026I'm not sure if this means that much but occasionally I get entranced by packing as much information possible into one graph. Plotting on a map would just reveal most of the coastal and north-south differences between energy consumption, production, climate, wealth, and politics. 2112
David Hsu @dhsu.bsky.social · 12/06/2026I'm not usually into fashion, but my daughter and I were chatting about electronic fabrics and I then later found this. ANREALAGE 2025-26 show: things really light up at around the 4:00 mark. youtu.be/U8_Fa4Cdb_0?...youtu.beANREALAGE AUTUMN/WINTER 2025-26 COLLECTION “SCREEN”YouTube video by ANREALAGE 010
David Hsu @dhsu.bsky.social · 01/06/2026Academics on the morning of June 1, after Commencement, sitting down to a clean desk and (mostly) empty calendar for the summer stretching ahead ...static.klipy.comBird Jumping For JoyALT: Bird Jumping For Joy 030
David Hsu @dhsu.bsky.social · 06/05/2026This is extremely cool, be sure to watch the video! news.mit.edu/2026/three-s...news.mit.eduIt took 40 years for technology to catch up to this zipper designA new system developed at MIT CSAIL helps users design three-sided fasteners called “Y-zippers,” then 3D prints them. The devices can be attached or embedded to camping equipment, medical gear, robots... 160
David Hsu @dhsu.bsky.social · 06/05/2026www.nytimes.com/2026/05/05/u...nytimes.comF.D.A. Blocked Publication of Research Finding Covid and Shingles Vaccines Were Safe 062
David Hsu @dhsu.bsky.social · 05/05/2026Here's my full ranking because I REMEMBER THE ORIGINALS before they were polluted: 1. The Empire Strikes Back 2. Rogue One 3. A New Hope 4. Return of the Jedi 5-10. Seen some of them, but I can't remember which, which says it all. 210
David Hsu @dhsu.bsky.social · 30/04/2026Oof, i just saw the most predictable crash in Cambridge. Person wearing headphones jaywalking between stopped cars. Noisy motorcycle going fast in the shoulder / bike lane (!?) wiped out, I think to avoid oblivious pedestrian. Everybody standing but also seems like everyone partially at fault. 160
David Hsu @dhsu.bsky.social · 30/04/2026Wow, this sounds really cool! Now, let me get back to “Infinite Jest”… “Palantir has sold clothing — including logo-emblazoned hoodies, shorts, caps and a T-shirt featuring Karp’s favorite motto, “Dominate” — for years.” www.nytimes.com/2026/04/30/s...nytimes.comPalantir Is Making a French Chore Coat. Yes, That Palantir. 221
David Hsu @dhsu.bsky.social · 27/04/2026Indeed. open.substack.com/pub/statmode...open.substack.comNicholas Goddamn Roerichborn in Arizona, moved to Babylonia 000
David Hsu @dhsu.bsky.social · 27/04/2026I started thinking about how urbanization trends differ across the US and maybe went a bit too deep. Made this plot of % urbanized pop in each state versus John Borchert's model of urban evolution based on 5 epochs of urbanization in the US defined by transport tech (and AC!). YMMV. 240
David Hsu @dhsu.bsky.social · 16/04/2026Hint of the AI bubble, number 9,477,615,337: www.nytimes.com/2026/04/15/u...nytimes.comSneaker Company Allbirds Plans to Pivot to A.I. Yes, A.I. 130
David Hsu @dhsu.bsky.social · 13/04/2026Enjoyed reading "The Unaccountability Machine" by Dan Davies: at turns thoughtful and hilarious. Goes deep into cybernetics, history, neoliberalism, and accounting (!). A friend sent me this quote which is pretty funny and on target unless you're an academic; then the joke is on you (and me). 35527
David Hsu @dhsu.bsky.social · 09/04/2026When I'm writing about electricity and the changes it wrought, I think about this article often by @adriennelaf.bsky.social .... written in 2015, more than a decade ago (!), this opening paragraph still rings true for AI as it did for dot coms, cloud computing, social media, crypto: 4100
David Hsu @dhsu.bsky.social · 03/04/2026Did you know that Guyana has a GDP per capita of more than $70,000? Me neither! Statistics say this is from oil extraction, but what is Guyana like? To compare: US $72k, Saudi Arabia $63k, Germany $62k, Australia $60k, Japan $46k. Plot from @ourworldindata.org , ourworldindata.org/grapher/gdp-... 130
David Hsu @dhsu.bsky.social · 01/04/2026Another profile in memoriam. www.bostonglobe.com/2026/03/31/m...bostonglobe.com‘It’s a big void.’ Remembering Tracy Kidder, a Pioneer Valley icon. - The Boston GlobeFor many in Williamsburg, it’s hard to imagine the place without him. 031
David Hsu @dhsu.bsky.social · 27/03/2026Excellently written and argued, as always by @author-calnewport.bsky.social. (One author where you can't ask, 'where does he find the time?'.) www.nytimes.com/2026/03/27/o...nytimes.comOpinion | Technology Weakens Our Minds. We Can Fix This. 020
David Hsu @dhsu.bsky.social · 26/03/2026I was featured on a short podcast episode for Ask MIT Climate talking about the grid of the future, sometimes (micro), and community choice aggregation. climate.mit.edu/podcasts/e5-...climate.mit.edu 062
David Hsu @dhsu.bsky.social · 25/03/2026I met him in high school at a book signing, and read his first five or six books before the even more recent and successful ones. I still think about the people he wrote about all the time. Rest in peace. www.bostonglobe.com/2026/03/25/m...bostonglobe.comTracy Kidder, Pulitzer Prize-winning author who expanded nonfiction’s reach, dies at 80 - The Boston GlobeMr. Kidder’s best-selling books, such as “Among Schoolchildren” and “The Soul of a New Machine,” expanded the range and popularity of narrative nonfiction. 2213
David Hsu @dhsu.bsky.social · 22/03/2026Enjoyable on multiple levels: the thought, the patience, the local economy, the apples, the many adjectives for flavor, all to adapt to climate change and global competition. www.nytimes.com/2026/03/21/u...nytimes.comAfter Cosmic Crisp, Scientists Unveil an Apple for the Climate Change Era 091
David Hsu @dhsu.bsky.social · 21/03/2026Strong evidence in favor of academic conferences: www.nytimes.com/2026/03/18/t... 080
David Hsu @dhsu.bsky.social · 17/03/2026Liked this. Running on basic competence in government and anti-corruption draws a nice contrast with incumbents in both parties. www.nytimes.com/2026/03/17/o...nytimes.comOpinion | The Scrappy Mayor Showing Democrats How It’s Done 010
David Hsu @dhsu.bsky.social · 12/03/2026Daryl Morey, MIT graduate: "Bill [Simmons] famously coined the conference name of “Dorkapalooza” and sadly then called me Dork Elvis, which has stuck with me and is a little frustrating. You don’t get to pick your nickname." www.theringer.com/2026/03/06/n...theringer.comDorkapalooza: The Oral History of the Sloan Sports Analytics ConferenceThis is how the revolution was quantified 000
David Hsu @dhsu.bsky.social · 12/03/2026This visualization tool for urban land value is pretty neat, though the Azure data feed for some cities are presently disrupted (maybe a temporary cyberattack I heard mentioned this morning). open.substack.com/pub/progress...open.substack.comJust Put It On a MapAn underrated strategy for urbanist persuasion, powered by open source tools 052
David Hsu @dhsu.bsky.social · 11/03/2026"The goal, according to Matter Neuroscience, the company that set up the phone connection, is simply to get younger and older people to talk to each other ... to provide a connection between two groups that studies show are the loneliest in the United States." www.bostonglobe.com/2026/03/11/m...bostonglobe.comCollege students can ‘call a boomer’ from a new phone booth on Comm. Ave. Here’s the idea behind it. - The Boston GlobeThe BU Pavement Coffeehouse was a natural location for the phone booth, with its college-age clientele and high foot traffic. 010
David Hsu @dhsu.bsky.social · 11/03/2026Nice to see this 10th anniversary conference for David MacKay's untimely death. I generally do not believe that anyone remembers our work after we die, but it also helps to be a "smart, generous, and committed person". statmodeling.stat.columbia.edu/2026/03/01/r...statmodeling.stat.columbia.edu Remembering David MacKay | Statistical Modeling, Causal Inference, and Social Science 111
David Hsu @dhsu.bsky.social · 11/03/2026This photo essay (by bicycle!) has everything you probably wanted to know about energy infrastructure in Everett, MA: histecon.fas.harvard.edu/climate-hist... 000
David Hsu @dhsu.bsky.social · 11/03/2026A celebration of the family cargo bike. open.substack.com/pub/nminus1b...open.substack.comA bucketful of memoriesSome bikes are more meaningful than others. 0232
David Hsu @dhsu.bsky.social · 09/03/2026Striking illustration showing that the *only* coast on earth that has accurate measurements of sea level rise is the Atlantic coast in North America. Is this why decision-makers in Washington DC and New York City don't feel the same urgency as everywhere else? www.nytimes.com/2026/03/04/c... 2114
David Hsu @dhsu.bsky.social · 07/03/2026I quite enjoyed “North Woods” by Daniel Mason. A celebration of Western Massachusetts history, forests, and birds. 050
David Hsu @dhsu.bsky.social · 07/03/2026The definition of corruption: "noun: dishonest or fraudulent conduct by those in power, typically involving bribery." 0104
David Hsu @dhsu.bsky.social · 04/03/2026A Harvard colleague calls grading there: "Fifty Shades of A". www.bostonglobe.com/2025/11/12/b...bostonglobe.comHarvard students think it’s unfair ‘when they work hard and don’t get an A,’ internal report says - The Boston GlobeLast academic year, A's made up 60 percent of all course grades given to Harvard undergraduates. 270
Reposted by David HsuAlex Blechman @alexblechman.bsky.social · 14/02/2026Within 18 months all white collar workers could be replaced by a 1km sphere of flesh in Central Park 1204554671
David Hsu @dhsu.bsky.social · 17/02/2026"HERE COMES DIGGINS! HERE COMES DIGGINS!". What a great call. youtu.be/IVuIoS7HolE?...youtu.beThe first Olympic gold medal in U.S. cross-country skiing historyYouTube video by Team USA 1100
David Hsu @dhsu.bsky.social · 13/02/2026I've always wanted to do this. www.bostonglobe.com/2026/02/11/m...bostonglobe.comPeople won’t stop going out on the frozen Charles River, despite the risks — and the many, many warnings - The Boston GlobeWalkers, bikers, skaters, even ice-fishermen have ignored pleas to stay off the ice for generations. They do so at their peril. 150
David Hsu @dhsu.bsky.social · 13/02/2026An enjoyable short segment. youtu.be/qLXvYmS6jPw?...youtu.beThe Boston accent is disappearing. In Southie, that carries a deeper meaning.YouTube video by The Boston Globe 010
David Hsu @dhsu.bsky.social · 12/02/2026Today I received what I found to be a remarkably entertaining sale notice from an online bike shop I've ordered from before. It's just goofy and funny, two aspects that I really need more in my life more than anything AI can do. 021
David Hsu @dhsu.bsky.social · 06/02/2026TIL that 1 MCF ~= 1.038 MMBTU based on 2023 average heat content, so convert gas volumes to energy all you want (within +/-4%!) 110
David Hsu @dhsu.bsky.social · 04/02/2026Here's the slide I use when I talk about rising costs in BOTH gas and electricity systems. Capital expended on distribution poles, wires, and pipes is the main cost for utilities and are the main driver of your rapidly growing energy bills. Gas 4X and electricity 2X inflation between 2003 and 2023. 12711
David Hsu @dhsu.bsky.social · 04/02/2026In this season of college and graduate school admissions, I remembered this quite moving story about breaking the rules to do the right thing over enforcing selectivity. Seavey, circled, used to live in my town! www.bostonglobe.com/2022/12/22/m...bostonglobe.comA Harvard Law professor broke the rules to let in WWII vets. They made ‘the best class there ever was.’ - The Boston GlobeRefusing to reduce veterans to their test scores, Warren Seavey accepted some with questionable academic credentials— and others who hadn’t even applied. 010
David Hsu @dhsu.bsky.social · 03/02/2026Got around to listening to this and catching up on 2024 and 2025, in preparation for this year. Does a good job of explaining academic issues in terms of real people and relationships. apps.bostonglobe.com/2025/10/mult...apps.bostonglobe.comThe Harvard Plan podcastThe Harvard Plan is about the fight for the soul of America’s oldest and most prestigious university. 010
David Hsu @dhsu.bsky.social · 03/02/2026Building offshore wind, despite the federal obstacles, would benefit Massachusetts and New England. www.canarymedia.com/articles/cle... 2148