Don Osborn @donosborn.bsky.social · 22hOne of the historically important aspects of immigration to the US over the years is how so many humble people, some refugees, arrived and added so much to society and the economy. They, and their descendants. It never was just talented or rich people. 001
Don Osborn @donosborn.bsky.social · 07/10/2026Yes. “Wagon Queen Family Truckster” according to details on the Vacation movie 110
Don Osborn @donosborn.bsky.social · 07/10/2026I understand that Check Hamidou Kane translated (or was in any event involved in the translating of) L’Aventure amiguë into Pulaar (his mother tongue) under the title Inta Aanniinde. Don’t know if the NYT obituary mentions this, but it seems quite significant. 020
Reposted by Don OsbornCharles Gaba ✡️ @charlesgaba.com · 06/10/2026#FunFact: Yes, it's now possible to drive a standard, mainstream EV from New York to Los Angeles in a reasonable amount of time without getting stranded with a dead battery and WITHOUT having to use a Tesla station! 2239394
Don Osborn @donosborn.bsky.social · 05/10/2026Birds or Ukrainian missiles? And then back to your question. 010
Don Osborn @donosborn.bsky.social · 04/10/2026The article says “a bill which would end daylight savings time,” but my understanding is that it would do the exact opposite - make DST permanent, and end use of Standard Time. At the very least, this wording is confusing. @savestandard.bsky.social 020
Reposted by Don OsbornThorin Klosowski @thorinklosowski.com · 01/10/2026last year we did a little made up holiday called Opt Out October that was all about taking control of your data across platforms. This year we decided to talk about how many excellent alternatives to the products made by big tech are out there www.eff.org/pages/welcom...eff.orgWelcome to Opt Out October. Let’s Take Control of Our Data and Our DevicesBig tech companies are hell-bent on taking away our agency and forcing us to use their surveillance-based services, apps, and devices. It’s hard to fight against, and it often feels much easier to giv... 19556
Reposted by Don OsbornZeke Hausfather @zekehausfather.com · 03/10/2026I often see people claim that because clean energy sources like solar, wind, or nuclear are manufactured using fossil fuels their emissions are high. But thats absolutely not the case: even accounting for full lifecycle emissions they are vastly better than burning coal or gas: 1526787
Reposted by Don OsbornJohns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics @bermaninstitute.bsky.social · 02/10/2026Africa’s effort to make most of its own vaccines by 2040 faces significant headwinds | Science | AAAS www.science.org/content/arti...science.orgAfrica’s effort to make most of its own vaccines by 2040 faces significant headwindsCompanies striving to reduce continent’s reliance on foreign shots must overcome major financial and logistical challenges 022
Don Osborn @donosborn.bsky.social · 01/10/2026Knowing* that it works and how to do it already covers a lot of ground. * “Knowing.” We probably need a new vocabulary for AI. 100
Don Osborn @donosborn.bsky.social · 01/10/2026This has to do with the University of Minnesota, but it illustrates the stark scenarios faced by much of higher education in the US currently. 0186
Don Osborn @donosborn.bsky.social · 01/10/2026Depends what you mean by truly. Seems AI can understand it well enough … news.harvard.edu/gazette/stor...news.harvard.eduChatbots' emotionally manipulative tacticsResearchers detail six ways chatbots seek to prolong “emotionally sensitive events.” 100
Reposted by Don OsbornGo Green @ecowarriorss.bsky.social · 30/09/2026Farmers try to bring back Syrian bees Syria was once home to one of the largest populations of bees in the Middle East but they were eliminated Now only a fraction remain theworld.org/stories/2026...theworld.orgFarmers try to bring back Syrian bees - The World from PRXFor DW’s Living Planet podcast, Kathleen Schuster reports on the fight to bring bees back to Syria. 0176
Reposted by Don OsbornCERN @cern.bsky.social · 29/09/2026Happy birthday CERN! 🎉 #OnThisDay 72 years ago, CERN officially came into being, bringing together 12 founding Member States with a shared vision for science and international collaboration. Discover the story behind 72 years of science: home.cern/about/who-we... 10485132
Reposted by Don OsbornGo Green @ecowarriorss.bsky.social · 28/09/2026Please sign Petition to help South Africa save the Pangolins A Million Pangolins Were Trafficked in a Decade. South Africa Is Fighting It Nearly Alone. Eight pangolin species are now threatened with extinction and four are critically endangered. www.thepetitionsite.com/707/705/767/...thepetitionsite.comSign Petition: South Africa Is Protecting Endangered Wildlife Alone. The World Needs to Help Fund It.Eight species are now threatened with extinction, and four are critically endangered. (53029 signatures on petition) 15839
Don Osborn @donosborn.bsky.social · 28/09/2026FWIW, I run with my headlights on too, and can check to see if they’re both working by the reflection on the fender of the car in front - when stopped at a red light. Never had such a selfie opportunity, however. 110
Reposted by Don OsbornSocial Media Lab @socialmedialab.ca · 27/09/2026"America had wiped out measles. Now babies are infected at birth. Congenital measles has rarely been seen in the U.S. That’s changing as vaccination declines and more pregnant women become infected." www.nbcnews.com/health/healt...nbcnews.comAmerica had wiped out measles. Now babies are infected at birth.Congenital measles has rarely been seen in the U.S. That’s changing as vaccination declines and more pregnant women become infected. 23527
Don Osborn @donosborn.bsky.social · 22/09/2026Your raised bed design looks nice. FWIW, there is a simpler design that might work for some folks. Back in 2011, we used for each raised bed, 2 2” x 8” boards, that were 14’ long. Sawed off 3’ of each & made a rectangle w/ the other 11’ pieces. Simple technique - choose your preferred dimensions. 000
Reposted by Don OsbornIsaac Samuel @rhaplord.bsky.social · 20/09/2026The Sahara is one of the most dynamic zones of interaction in human history. In 1600 BC, the Hyksos introduced the horse-drawn chariot to Egypt, from where it spread southward to the kingdom of Kerma (Kush in Sudan) and westward across the Sahara www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/the-wheel-...africanhistoryextra.comThe Wheel in the Ancient Sahara: Africa’s Forgotten ChariotsThe Sahara is one of the most dynamic zones of interaction in human history. 112
Reposted by Don OsbornKarly Kingsley @karlykingsley.bsky.social · 20/09/2026I don’t buy wine, cocktails, or stadium beer. I have 1 car that needs repairs. I financed my phone through my carrier plan. I’ve never owned $800 shoes, I gave up TV years ago,and while I think a well-made latte is one of the finer things in life, I’d never pay $14. Do I still have to pay the $4.50? 15755897
Don Osborn @donosborn.bsky.social · 20/09/2026So it’s had a long journey… Fwiw, the etymology from @enwiktionary.bsky.social : “Inherited from Middle English temperament, borrowed from Middle French tempérament, from Latin temperāmentum.” en.wiktionary.org/wiki/tempera...en.wiktionary.orgtemperament - Wiktionary, the free dictionary 122
Reposted by Don OsbornDr. Todd Arrington @btarrington.bsky.social · 17/09/2026"A republic, if you can keep it." ~Attributed to Benjamin Franklin 239 years ago today-9/17/1787-upon being asked if new US government would be a monarchy or a republic. The founders signed the Constitution OTD in 1787, so happy Constitution Day to all! Let's keep it. Image: National Archives. 212641
Don Osborn @donosborn.bsky.social · 15/09/2026Good discussion on surveillance tech, privacy, & current public reaction by @karaswisher.bsky.social, with Jason Koebler, @safiyanoble.bsky.social, & Victoria Song. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/o...podcasts.apple.comFlock Cameras, Meta Glasses and the Surveillance BacklashPodcast Episode · On with Kara Swisher · September 14 · 1h 6m 010
Reposted by Don OsbornAndrew Dessler @andrewdessler.com · 14/09/2026On The Climate Brink: The Atmosphere Just Set a Water Vapor Record. Aug. 2026 probably had more water vapor in the atmosphere than any month in the last few thousand years, if not a 100,000 years. www.theclimatebrink.com/p/the-atmosp...theclimatebrink.comThe Atmosphere Just Set a Water Vapor RecordMore water vapor means more rocket fuel for extreme rain — so this record is not good news 11283163
Don Osborn @donosborn.bsky.social · 13/09/2026We’re in that period of September between the anniversaries of the Nazi invasion of Poland and the Soviet completion of the 4th partition of that country. 160
Reposted by Don Osbornjamelle @jamellebouie.net · 12/09/2026mackenzie scott really seems like the only billionaire to figure out that you can be a literal hero to millions with a relative pittance 357155512730
Don Osborn @donosborn.bsky.social · 11/09/2026A personal retrospective on 9/11 as experienced while living in Niger. (Written on the 15th anniversary in 2016) donosborn.org/blog/2016/se...donosborn.orgSeptember 11, 2001 in Niamey | Multidisciplinary PerspectivesFor Americans (and many others), "where were you on 9/11?" is in the same category as an earlier generation's "where were you when President Kennedy was assassinated?" There are some events that are e... 001
Reposted by Don OsbornRicky Davila @therickydavila.bsky.social · 11/09/20269/11 is a day I’ll never forget. Rather than sharing the horrific photos, I’d rather share an image in memory of what once was. 🙏 1453829608
Don Osborn @donosborn.bsky.social · 11/09/2026Can’t imagine what it must have been like to witness this. I was in Niamey, Niger at the time, and the first news that filtered through (from the Embassy) had us thinking of a small plane too - something like one that hit the Empire State Building decades earlier. 000
Reposted by Don OsbornSimon Lee @simonleewx.com · 10/09/20268 years ago, I tweeted side-by-side maps from NASA GISS showing global temperatures in 1976 and 2018 – both hot summers in the UK. It subsequently went viral and was printed in the Daily Mail! The 2026 version is stark. Two locally extreme summers separated by 50 years of global climate change. 7560305
Don Osborn @donosborn.bsky.social · 10/09/2026Seen that too. Could have responded in kind with “father” and had them wondering In the end, just used my shortest option, “PhD” 000
Reposted by Don OsbornDavid Roberts @volts.wtf · 09/09/2026Interesting: Massachusetts has ordered all new data centers above 25MW to procure clean power.mass.gov 1636457
Reposted by Don OsbornDr. Princess Vimentin PhD | Cancer Biologist @princess-vimentin.bsky.social · 09/09/2026“As our circle of knowledge expands, so does the circumference of darkness surrounding it.” Albert Einstein 🧪 19946267
Reposted by Don OsbornArs Technica @arstechnica.com · 08/09/2026arstechnica.comEV batteries last longer than drivers fearedStudy suggests used vehicles can retain about 90% of original usable battery capacity after 150,000 km. 35810
Reposted by Don OsbornAlt CDC (they/them) @altcdc.altgov.info · 08/09/2026More than 11,000 people have been sickened in a Cyclospora outbreak linked to lettuce. Meanwhile, FDA inspections of foreign food facilities have fallen nearly 35% since 2019. Public health work is often invisible...until it isn’t. Cuts have consequences.apnews.comCyclospora outbreak followed years of declining FDA foreign inspectionsThe ongoing outbreak of cyclospora tied to iceberg lettuce has raised new concerns about the safety of imported produce — and underscores a worrisome trend: The U.S. is conducting fewer inspections to catch contaminated food. 9025601009
Reposted by Don OsbornKatie Mack @astrokatie.com · 07/09/2026The story linked above involves LLM-assisted work in which the LLM presented an argument developed by someone else as its own. If a human researcher did that, it would be straightforward misconduct and there could be career consequences. We need a process for addressing this now; we don’t have one. 767077
Reposted by Don OsbornWHO @who.int · 07/09/2026Here's some public health good news 🎊 Congratulations to Thailand for eliminating rubella as a public health problem! Learn more: bit.ly/4ynibTR #StandWithScience 332474
Don Osborn @donosborn.bsky.social · 07/09/2026This piece is almost a decade old, but in it I explored some ideas about how AI in the hands of job applicants might interface with the automated processes used by those doing the hiring. Could we have planned for what we’re starting to see now? www.linkedin.com/pulse/some-t...linkedin.comSome thoughts on AI, intelligent agents, and transformation of the job marketSo, if there were AI (artificial intelligence) bots or intelligent agents (IAs) to assist people looking for employment or a new job, how might they interact with increasingly intelligent processes us... 000
Don Osborn @donosborn.bsky.social · 07/09/2026This was pretty much inevitable. For years, recruitment and hiring have been using ever more sophisticated tech, while applicants are stuck with basically late 20th century tools. And then AI is used for the interviews… 010
Don Osborn @donosborn.bsky.social · 07/09/2026... and: Dongbei Shen, Min Zhang, Arun S. Mujumdar, and Jingyuan Li , "Advances and prospects for edible robots based on additive manufacturing technology," Innovative Food Science & Emerging Technologies, Vol. 100, March 2025, 103896 www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti... #ediblerobotssciencedirect.com 000
Don Osborn @donosborn.bsky.social · 07/09/2026The multidisciplinary research on the more limited applications of #ediblerobots is quite serious. For example, Floreano, D., Kwak, B., Pankhurst, M. et al. "Towards edible robots and robotic food." Nature Reviews Materials 9, 589–599 (2024). doi.org/10.1038/s415... #ediblerobotsdoi.orgTowards edible robots and robotic food - Nature Reviews MaterialsEdible robots and robotic food that perceive, process and react to stimuli offer opportunities to develop new medical applications, emergency food-delivery systems, waste-reduction strategies in farmi... 100