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Gary Oberbrunner

@gary.oberbrunner.com
406 followers 243 following 369 posts

Emmy-winning software dev, entrepreneur, scientist, sailor, jazz lover, vfx/film software guy, feminist, traveler. #longnowboston, #openfx, #climate, #emacs. More at oberbrunner.com

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Gary Oberbrunner @gary.oberbrunner.com · 4h
Another day, another Nino 3.4 sea surface temp record (both absolute & daily): globe-viz.oberbrunner.com?tab=trends&s.... Also the entire Pacific & other regions, click for more.
globe-viz.oberbrunner.com
Niño 3.4 sea surface temp: 29.85 °C
Warmest Sep 29 in 45 years on record (NOAA OISST, Sep 29, 2026). Explore daily climate data on an interactive 3D globe with year-over-year charts.
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Gary Oberbrunner @gary.oberbrunner.com · 27/09/2026
If you're a #sailor, I hope you'd like to try my new free open-source chartplotter app, Pelorus Nav. I need to sign up a few more Android testers to get it on the app store. Go to pelorus-nav.com & click "Sign up" to register for the Android beta. Thx!
pelorus-nav.com
Pelorus Nav — open-source marine chartplotter (beta)
Official NOAA charts, offline use, tides and currents — free and open source, on the device you already own. In beta; not for navigation.
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Gary Oberbrunner @gary.oberbrunner.com · 27/09/2026
#pcons users: new version 0.30.0 is just released, with many new improvements, simplifications and fixes. Please give it a spin with your C++, C, Swift, Fortran, CUDA, Metal or even Rust code! Pcons is my open-source software build tool, a much nicer user-friendly #CMake replacement. pcons.org
pcons.org
pcons - A Modern Software Build System
A modern, cross-platform, zero-install software build system. Any language; configuration in Python, execution via Ninja.
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Gary Oberbrunner @gary.oberbrunner.com · 26/09/2026
Nino 3.4 region, new record high sea surface temp (not just daily record) yesterday, still unofficial. And it has a long way to run yet. globe-viz.oberbrunner.com?tab=trends&s...
globe-viz.oberbrunner.com
Niño 3.4 sea surface temp: 29.82 °C
Warmest Sep 25 in 45 years on record (NOAA OISST, Sep 25, 2026). Explore daily climate data on an interactive 3D globe with year-over-year charts.
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Prof. Eliot Jacobson @climatecasino.net · 15/09/2026
Breaking News! Code UFB!!! Yesterday's (preliminary) Nino 3.4 sea-surface temperature just broke past 3.0°C above the 1991-2020 baseline! This marks the 108th consecutive daily record, is 1.07°C above the previous daily record set in 1997, and is 4.02σ above the baseline.
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Gary Oberbrunner @gary.oberbrunner.com · 12/09/2026
Look at this enormous >5.5°C anomaly all along the equatorial Pacific. That is a _lot_ of energy. globe-viz.oberbrunner.com?tab=globe&sr...
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Extreme Temperatures Around the World @extremetemps.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
HISTORIC HEAT WAVE IN MIDDLE EAST Absolutely extraordinary what 's going on in Middle East with MINIMUMS still >35C. In Particular the MIN of 35.8C is BAHRAIN HOTTEST SEPTEMBER NIGHT ON RECORD Next days insane heat will spread to all Central Asia and than East Asia:Historic
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lostjared @lostjared.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
The config process with pcons for my entire project is a lot faster than with CMake. @gary.oberbrunner.com Awesome work.
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Gary Oberbrunner @gary.oberbrunner.com · 28/08/2026
MIT just released a call to action on the future of college in the AI era. Calls for a top-to-bottom rethink & reinvention of the curriculum starting from what we want students to actually learn, not just grades & homework & lectures. "This is not an optional exercise." aiandeducation.mit.edu/report
aiandeducation.mit.edu
Report – AI and Education
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Gary Oberbrunner @gary.oberbrunner.com · 25/08/2026
Wow, as of today every major ocean region except the poles is in new daily-record territory. globe-viz.oberbrunner.com?tab=trends&s...
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Alt National Park Service @altnps.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Our national parks are already severely understaffed. They’ve lost roughly a quarter of their permanent workforce since Trump returned to office, and the people who remain are being asked to do more with less every single day.
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Gary Oberbrunner @gary.oberbrunner.com · 23/08/2026
OISST sea surface temps hit another new all-time record (not just new daily record, which it's been hitting every day since the beginning of June): 0.87°C above 1971-2000 mean (global = 60°N-60°S). globe-viz.oberbrunner.com?tab=trends&s.... ERA5 still has today slightly below 2024's record, for now.
globe-viz.oberbrunner.com
Climate Data Explorer — Sea Surface Temperatures
Interact with a 3D globe and time-series charts to explore sea surface temperatures, anomalies, and long-term trends from NOAA OISST.
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Velia 🇪🇺🇺🇦 @anadiplosis.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
Visualizzazione interattiva 3D delle anomalie della temperatura superficiale del mare By @gary.oberbrunner.com oberbrunner.com/blog/sea-tem... globe-viz.oberbrunner.com?tab=globe&sr...
globe-viz.oberbrunner.com
Climate Data Explorer — Sea Surface Temperatures
Interact with a 3D globe and time-series charts to explore sea surface temperatures, anomalies, and long-term trends from NOAA OISST.
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Zack Labe @zacklabe.com · 19/08/2026
A view of the rapidly thinning #Arctic sea ice cover by decade... 📉 More info on data: climatedataguide.ucar.edu/climate-data...
Four polar stereographic maps showing Arctic sea ice thickness for the month of August in 1986-1995, 1996-2005, 2006-2015, and 2016-2025. Thickness is shown with colors from black at 0 meters to purple at 2.5 meters to white at 5.0 meters. Sea ice in thinning in all regions over time.
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Bilbo Yaga @bilboyaga.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
People who wear an n95 in public to protect their communities, reject ableism, resist fascism, and build a better world are, in fact, super hot and punk as fuck.
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Climate News @climatenews.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
The fires in the Arctic aren’t the main concern. It’s what’s frozen underneath the fires (or at least used to be frozen until the fires). The vast quantities of frozen methane in the Arctic and boreal forests are the main concern.
nature.com
Current and future methane emissions from boreal-Arctic wetlands and lakes - Nature Climate Change
How much methane will be emitted from the boreal-Arctic region under climate change is not well constrained. Here the authors show that accounting for distinct wetland and lake classes leads to lower ...
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Dr. Aaron Thierry @thierryaaron.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
2003 was once exceptional. Now it's average. 2024's record will be average by the mid-2040s. The extreme summers of the 2040s don't bear thinking about! 🌡🥵😬 #ClimateEmergency After @edhawkins.org & @stottpeter.bsky.social using ERA5 + CMIP6.
European summer temperature, June to August, over 10°W-40°E, 30-50°N, the region Stott et al. used for the 2003 heatwave, relative to 1961-1990. The black line shows ERA5 observations from 1950 to 2025, rising from about zero in the mid-twentieth century to 2.75°C in 2024. Grey shading is the 5-95% range of 34 CMIP6 models over the historical period, blue shading the same models under SSP2-4.5 to 2100, with the running median in white. Two dotted lines mark the 2003 summer at 2.06°C and the 2024 summer at 2.75°C, each dropping to the year the model median reaches that level: 2027 and 2045. Model region approximated by the IPCC AR6 Mediterranean and West & Central Europe regions, weighted 0.75 to 0.25.
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Gary Oberbrunner @gary.oberbrunner.com · 07/08/2026
Yesterday was the all time preliminary global sea surface temp record per OISST. I expect it to be revised downward in the coming days, but even if it is, it won't be long before we break the previous record.
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Long Now Boston @longnowboston.org · 04/08/2026
In April, David Hibbett walked us through 1.5 billion years of fungal evolution. Now the book is out. He's at Brookline Booksmith Aug 26 with Maria Pinto. #mycology #boston www.eventbrite.com/e/david-hibbett-…
eventbrite.com
David Hibbett with Maria Pinto: The Complete Fungi
Wed, Aug 26, 7:00 PM — Brookline Booksmith, 279 Harvard St, Brookline MA
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Stoic Thinker @stoicthinker2025.bsky.social · 02/08/2026
I don't mean to be dramatic, but the world is in trouble. www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2026...
washingtonpost.com
Scorching July may end up the warmest month on record across the U.S.
Yet another heat dome will bring critical fire weather risks and record-breaking temperatures to the West this weekend.
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lostjared @lostjared.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
Setup my newest game engine to use pcons/Python for the build system. Configures much faster, and the overall compile process is simpler. Pretty cool project. Also moved the testing/run script to Python for use with pcons instead of Perl for the CMake build scripts. I am satisfied with the project.
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Henry Yuen @henryyuen.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
Some initial thoughts, and a complicated mix of feelings. Wow. I mean, Erdos problems are cool (I genuinely mean that), I didn't know about the Jacobian conjecture before it got disproved. But this newest batch from OpenAI hits home in a way the previous announcements did not.
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Gary Oberbrunner @gary.oberbrunner.com · 01/08/2026
Great to see pcons in use, in the wild! (pcons.org) Thanks @lostjared.bsky.social !
pcons.org
pcons - A Modern Software Build System
A modern, cross-platform, zero-install software build system. Any language; configuration in Python, execution via Ninja.
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Prof. Eliot Jacobson @climatecasino.net · 22/07/2026
Global sea-surface temperatures just reached their 50th consecutive record hot day and are expected to continue to rise for another month. This is so far beyond 'bonkers' (technical climate science term) that the Climate 8-ball has decided to start drinking early today.
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Prof Peter Hotez MD PhD DSc(hon) @peterhotezmdphd.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
#ScienceUnderSiege @michaelemann.bsky.social @peterhotezmdphd.bsky.social
APS
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revisionfx.bsky.social @revisionfx.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
Are you going to Siggraph? Stop by the Framework booth #624 and say HI. We will be doing live demos.
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Gary Oberbrunner @gary.oberbrunner.com · 17/07/2026
Pcons: a new open-source software build tool I finally fulfilled a decades-old promise to myself. I wrote a new tool to build software easily, with clear, concise build descriptions.
blog.oberbrunner.com
Pcons: a new open-source software build tool
I finally fulfilled a decades-old promise to myself. I wrote a new tool to build software easily, with clear, concise build descriptions.
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y2000k @y2000k.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
Long read - the ongoing train wreck at Boston Symphony Orchestra www.bostonglobe.com/2026/07/16/a...
bostonglobe.com
An ousted maestro, an angry orchestra, an uncertain financial future. The BSO faces the music. - The Boston Globe
The fight over the future of a preeminent orchestra is not going well.
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Gary Oberbrunner @gary.oberbrunner.com · 12/07/2026
What Is the Future of Mathematics? Will humans still want to do math? Will universities pay for it? Why do we do pure research?
blog.oberbrunner.com
What Is the Future of Mathematics?
Will humans still want to do math? Will universities pay for it? Why do we do pure research?
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John Sundman @jsundman.bsky.social · 11/07/2026
'DEF CON — A guide for the perplexed,' and the existential meaning of hacking. johnsundman.substack.com/p/def-con-bi...
johnsundman.substack.com
DEF CON (bio)hacker dreaming
White Hat vs Black Hat in bowels of the world's most grotesque city
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Admirable Women @admirablewomen.bsky.social · 04/07/2026
Physicist & chemist Marie Curie was the: + First woman to win a Nobel Prize + First person & only woman to win twice + Only person to ever win a Nobel Prize in 2 different sciences: Physics (1903) & Chemistry (1911) Marie Skłodowska Curie died #OTD in 1934. #WomenInSTEM
A striking black-and-white studio portrait of Marie Curie (1867–1934), the legendary Polish-French physicist and chemist who revolutionized modern science by discovering radioactivity, polonium, and radium. As the only person to win Nobel Prizes in two different scientific fields, her profound historical significance is reflected in her serious, deeply introspective expression. Photographed from the chest up, she looks directly at the camera with an intense, analytical gaze. Her graying hair is styled in a soft updo, framing a face etched with a look of quiet resolve and intellectual focus. She wears a dark, textured jacket over a shirt adorned with a distinctive geometric, black-and-white checkered pattern at the neckline. The portrait utilizes a stark, dark, textured background that blends into her clothing, creating a high-contrast composition that draws complete focus to her face. The overall mood is solemn, dignified, and powerful, capturing the essence of a brilliant academic pioneer who dedicated her life to scientific discovery.
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wasm @wasm.activitypub.awakari.com.ap.brid.gy · 29/04/2026
Show HN: Pcons: new software build tool in Python, inspired by SCons and CMake I've been really gratified to see a bit of uptake of pcons in the open-source community, so I thought I'd post... Origin | Interest | Match
github.com
GitHub - DarkStarSystems/pcons: Python-based software build tool
Python-based software build tool. Contribute to DarkStarSystems/pcons development by creating an account on GitHub.
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Gary Oberbrunner @gary.oberbrunner.com · 01/07/2026
This is huge news! www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
nytimes.com
This Cell Feeds, Grows and Reproduces. And It’s Manmade.
From chemical building blocks, scientists have created synthetic cells that have most of the hallmarks of life.
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Gary Oberbrunner @gary.oberbrunner.com · 17/06/2026
If you're a C/C++ programmer, or wasm, CUDA, Fortran, or anything else that needs compilation, or you're just tired of CMake's idiosyncracies, please try my new open-source build tool, pcons: pcons.org. Building software should be simple! #cpp #fortran #cuda #cmake #software #python
pcons.org
pcons - Modern Python Build System
A modern, cross-platform, zero-install Python-based build system. Configuration in Python, execution via Ninja.
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Prof. Stefan Rahmstorf @rahmstorf.bsky.social · 13/06/2026
Insane self-blinding of the US. They are throwing away their investment in the ocean observation system and the benefits it provides. The only explanation I can think of: they don’t want the people to know what their fossil emissions are doing to our oceans. easternherald.com/2026/06/13/u...
easternherald.com
The US Is Pulling Up a $386 Million Climate Ocean Sensor Network
NSF dismantling Ocean Observatories Initiative as very strong El Niño forms. Edson, Robbins, McLean: an irreparable blind spot in U.S. climate observation.
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Dan McCrum @mccrum.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
For all would-be SpaceX investors, reading "A City on Mars" is a strong recommend. Very funny on the many ways space is terrible, uneconomic, and the decades/centuries of (boring, non-phallic rocket related) research needed to make settlement even a vaguely realistic proposition.
A City on Mars: Can we settle space, should we settle space and have we really thought this through?
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Gary Oberbrunner @gary.oberbrunner.com · 07/06/2026
Towards a taxonomy of AI risks A listing of many different types of risks posed by AI, now or in the near future.
blog.oberbrunner.com
Towards a taxonomy of AI risks
A listing of many different types of risks posed by AI, now or in the near future.
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Gary Oberbrunner @gary.oberbrunner.com · 04/06/2026
New release of pcons cross-platform c++/CUDA/wasm/fortran/etc. build tool: 0.19.0. Better C++ modules support, better Install support (w/ prefix), multiple generators, and more! pcons.org, github.com/DarkStarSyst...
pcons.org
pcons - Modern Python Build System
A modern, cross-platform, zero-install Python-based build system. Configuration in Python, execution via Ninja.
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Gary Oberbrunner @gary.oberbrunner.com · 02/06/2026
This is horrifying. It could kill American science and its leadership. Science friends, please submit a comment now.
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Gary Oberbrunner @gary.oberbrunner.com · 01/06/2026
"Trump Administration to Dismantle Ocean Monitoring System" (nytimes) ... so if we don't measure climate change then it's not happening? La la la...
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Gary Oberbrunner @gary.oberbrunner.com · 01/06/2026
Grandstanding in the best possible way.
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Gary Oberbrunner @gary.oberbrunner.com · 20/05/2026
From @ceciletamura.bsky.social (on FB): Three recent Nature papers point to a converging paradigm: AI is beginning to close the scientific discovery loop. www.nature.com/articles/s41... www.nature.com/articles/s41... www.nature.com/articles/s41...
nature.com
A multi-agent system for automating scientific discovery - Nature
Nature - A multi-agent system for automating scientific discovery
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Barack Obama @barackobama.bsky.social · 18/05/2026
Yesterday, a new generation of civil rights activists marched from Selma to Montgomery to fight for voting rights. As states across the country try to make it harder for citizens to be heard, we need to learn the lessons of those who came before us and refuse to take our democracy for granted.
alabamareflector.com
Thousands attend protests in Selma and Montgomery for voting rights | Alabama Reflector
Speakers at the All Roads Lead to the South events urge people to mobilize to oppose redistricting efforts by Legislatures in the south.
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Prof. Eliot Jacobson @climatecasino.net · 18/05/2026
Pinching myself. www.noaa.gov/news/access-...
noaa.gov
Access to NOAA’s world-renowned Mauna Loa Observatory restored
Science activities to resume and site renovations planned
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Dr. Jonathan Foley @globalecoguy.bsky.social · 11/05/2026
For folks who say that recent patterns of warming “prove” the climate models are broken, and other forces are “accelerating” the warming. Nope. Warming is as expected and within the range of estimates. Thanks to @michaelemann.bsky.social and team for this. www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
pnas.org
PNAS
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), a peer reviewed journal of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) - an authoritative source of high-impact, original research that broadly spans...
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Anton Hur @antonhur.com · 11/05/2026
WE DON'T NEED PETROLEUM-BASED PLASTICS ANYMORE! "The [bamboo plastic] outperforms most commercial plastics and bioplastics in mechanical and thermo-mechanical metrics while maintaining full biodegradability in soil within 50 days and closed-loop recyclability with 90% retained strength."
nature.com
High-strength, multi-mode processable bamboo molecular bioplastic enabled by solvent-shaping regulation - Nature Communications
Bioplastics derived from biomass show promise as sustainable alternatives to petrochemical plastics, but their adoption is hindered by their inferior mechanical properties and processability. Here, th...
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Gary Oberbrunner @gary.oberbrunner.com · 02/05/2026
I just wrote an article on whether AIs are likely to become superintelligent, reviewing some of the arguments for and against: www.oberbrunner.com/blog/ai-supe...
oberbrunner.com
Will AIs Exceed Human Intelligence? | Morning Coffee
Some thoughts on the debate around the "singularity": is AI intelligence reaching a plateau, or is it likely to continue?
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Academy Software Foundation (ASWF) @aswf.io · 05/05/2026
If you've ever wanted to contribute to open source VFX software but didn't know where to start: Dev Days is made for you! Join us on May 14 or September 17 for ASWF Dev Days. Pick a project, get paired with mentors, and make a real contribution in one day 👉 bit.ly/49cSk6U #DevDays #VFX #Animation
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Gary Oberbrunner @gary.oberbrunner.com · 02/05/2026
I just wrote an article on whether AIs are likely to become superintelligent, reviewing some of the arguments for and against: www.oberbrunner.com/blog/ai-supe...
oberbrunner.com
Will AIs Exceed Human Intelligence? | Morning Coffee
Some thoughts on the debate around the "singularity": is AI intelligence reaching a plateau, or is it likely to continue?
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