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Giorgio Comai

@giocomai.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy
87 followers 13 following 339 posts

Researcher and data analyst at OBCT/CCI, previously at Dublin City University Research (since early 2000s): Russia and conflict in post-Soviet spaces Data […] 🌉 bridged from ⁂ mastodon.social/@giocomai, follow @ap.brid.gy to interact

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Giorgio Comai @giocomai.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 8h
Attending this interesting on-line event about Russia and data while out on a lengthy walk, which is a surprisingly effective and pleasant way to follow a conference, when slides are not really so important... Timely debates: "Out of the black box: new ways to understand Russia using data" […]
mastodon.social
Original post on mastodon.social
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Giorgio Comai @giocomai.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 05/10/2026
So much disinfo and ugly stuff is generated and distributed on-line for purely economic motives. You remove the economic incentives, and much of this disappears by itself. This is also one of the advantages of the Fediverse, I suppose, since this incentive structure is not a thing, really.
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Giorgio Comai @giocomai.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 04/10/2026
Sensitivity, specificity, precision, recall... Should be shorthands, but I always find them less intuitive than descriptive expressions such as true positive rate, false positive rate, etc. In any case, here's a nice refresher, with a quick overview of related curves […]
mastodon.social
Original post on mastodon.social
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Giorgio Comai @giocomai.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 02/10/2026
"Automated authoritarianism"? "Authoritarianism as a service"? Useful inputs for science fiction writers here: hegemon.substack.com/p/the-dictator… And if the science fiction is good enough, probably useful inputs for political analysts, as well
hegemon.substack.com
Dictators Want to Automate Their Henchmen. Good Luck!
our latest in Foreign Affairs
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Giorgio Comai @giocomai.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 30/09/2026
Russia's public debt at about 20% of GDP seems small. But it really isn't: Russia is already paying about 9% of its budget to serve its debt. Because risks are high, rates are very high, and there's really not much international market for Russia's bonds. With planned military spending once […]
mastodon.social
Original post on mastodon.social
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Giorgio Comai @giocomai.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 29/09/2026
"Over 2.000 citizens of South Ossetia fighting in the Special Military Operation" This figure came out again yesterday - t.me/chptskhinval/24308 - after similar numbers were given late last year - cominf.org/node/1166567006 This is a very large figure, given the size of the […]
mastodon.social
Original post on mastodon.social
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Giorgio Comai @giocomai.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 28/09/2026
Although I'd question how much influence the Vatican really has, I share the feeling that it didn't effectively use it in support of either peace or moral clarity when it comes to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. neweasterneurope.eu/2026/09/11/the-…
neweasterneurope.eu
The Vatican’s unholy circus in Moscow
By speaking of abstract “suffering” and “goodwill”, and avoiding plain language on who invaded whom, the Holy See is effectively giving a papal benediction to the Kremlin's primary talking point: that this is a rather complicated quarrel, not a colonial land-grab. That does nothing to pressure Moscow towards peace, it only reduces its diplomatic isolation and blurs responsibility.
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Giorgio Comai @giocomai.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 27/09/2026
Nice piece summarising the long-term trejectory of VK (Vkontakte, mail dot ru, etc.) from a successful privatr company to... "a loss-making state corporation" "How the Kremlin Turned Tech Whiz-Kid VK Into a Loss-Making State Corporation" […]
mastodon.social
Original post on mastodon.social
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Giorgio Comai @giocomai.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 24/09/2026
Interesting case from Romania reached the EU court of justice: can media just pick a post from social media and publish their contents in full? Not quite: only to the extent that it is necessary to inform. More nuance […]
mastodon.social
Original post on mastodon.social
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Giorgio Comai @giocomai.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 22/09/2026
I've recently read this most interesting academic article about Latvia's colonial past, i.e. when the Duchy of Courland (corresponding to a region in contemporary Latvia) had its own colony in Tobago (now part of Trinidad and Tobago 🇹🇹), and to a lesser extent in Gambia […]
mastodon.social
Original post on mastodon.social
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Giorgio Comai @giocomai.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 19/09/2026
Greetings from the University of Latvia, where I'm joining a workshop by the title: "The Neoliberal University as a Research Factory: Academia in an Age of Metrics, Bureaucratisation and Institutional Pressure" Interesting, but as usual, also challenging to […] [Original post on mastodon.social]
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Giorgio Comai @giocomai.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 15/09/2026
I do appreciate that long-term this remains a delicate issue for local diplomats in Azerbaijan. But in this context, at this time... "The grotesque spectacle of foreign diplomats in emptied Nagorno-Karabakh" civilnet.am/en/news/1014118
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Reposted by Giorgio Comai
Alberto Cottica @alberto-cottica.mastodon.green.ap.brid.gy · 14/09/2026
If you care about #housing and are a EU citizen, you could consider signing the brand new European Citizen Initiative on the right to housing. Collection starts today. I know some of the people involved, and I can vouch for them […]
mastodon.green
Original post on mastodon.green
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Giorgio Comai @giocomai.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 11/09/2026
"Why is Trump bombing Somalia?" www.lrb.co.uk/blog/2026/september/w… > "objectively Somalia has been one of the US military’s higher priorities since his return to the White House." > "Most US Africa Command (Africom) press releases this year have been […]
mastodon.social
Original post on mastodon.social
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Giorgio Comai @giocomai.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 08/09/2026
RE: sciences.social/@comai/117234266124… This looks interesting, but I must admit that having my full surname as the project title makes this special for me. :-) I should really find a way to contribute to one of their events! :-)
sciences.social
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Giorgio Comai @giocomai.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 25/08/2026
RE: aoir.social/@fabiogiglietto/1171547… > "people who post on social media about politics represent a tiny minority of extreme users who dominate the landscape of opinions on social media. In this view, much of the apparent “polarization” in online discourse is in fact […]
mastodon.social
Original post on mastodon.social
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Giorgio Comai @giocomai.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 25/08/2026
RE: newsie.social/@TheTimesofCentralAsi… Let's expand coal mining specifically to power data centers, but also add random adjectives that differ from "highly pollutant"... Why not “highly efficient clean supercritical coal-fired generation”, as they do with this […]
mastodon.social
Original post on mastodon.social
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Giorgio Comai @giocomai.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 23/08/2026
Google released a detailed posts on different ways Russia is conducting targeted phishing and "sophisticated social engineering" campaigns targeting persons of interests to Russia, including specifically "academia, diplomatic, and nonprofit personnel", "think tanks across Europe",etc. The post […]
mastodon.social
Original post on mastodon.social
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Giorgio Comai @giocomai.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 19/08/2026
Random news from Russia's internet today: the skyscraper in Moscow due to host the headquarters of "Wildberries", the Russian on-line marketplace which had its infrastructure heavily hit by Ukrainian drones in recent weeks, will apparently be 40 meters higher […] [Original post on mastodon.social]
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Reposted by Giorgio Comai
Vlado Vince @mejs.mastodon.vladovince.com.ap.brid.gy · 04/08/2026
I pitstopped at one of the recently restored Kolpa/Kupa suspension bridges. While the threat of reinstating borders haunts Europe again, the local community here repaired these pedestrian crossings, turning the border into a peaceful swimming and […] [Original post on mastodon.vladovince.com]
Me in front of a riverSuspension bridge with a flag visible Suspension bridge with a border plaque visible
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Giorgio Comai @giocomai.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 13/08/2026
Jeremy Morris' latest for Jacobin on Russia: > "In its great laboratory of dispossession, exploitation, and now battlefield disposal, the vanguard of authoritarian neoliberalism has long treated ordinary Russians as biopolitical waste. Now, four years into a war even Russia’s leaders can no […]
mastodon.social
Original post on mastodon.social
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Reposted by Giorgio Comai
chris48s @chris.fed.chris-shaw.dev.ap.brid.gy · 08/08/2026
This post from @dsalo is fantastic. blog.stdlib.io/ai-and-the-invisible… > For a long time, open-source communities have depended on a specific kind of visible friction. People got stuck and they showed up > That first act of asking for help in public was itself […]
fed.chris-shaw.dev
Original post on fed.chris-shaw.dev
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Giorgio Comai @giocomai.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 11/08/2026
How do Hollywood blockbusters reach cinemas in Russia? Brief description in the latest BBC Russian newsletter: > "Since 2022, Russia has implemented a parallel distribution system, where Hollywood films are shown illegally as part of pre-screening services. This means that viewers formally buy […]
mastodon.social
Original post on mastodon.social
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Giorgio Comai @giocomai.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 03/08/2026
Two big news this week for a small country 🇳🇷: "Nauru officially changes its name to Naoero" - www.theguardian.com/world/2026/aug/… "Nauru Withdraws Recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia" - […]
mastodon.social
Original post on mastodon.social
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Giorgio Comai @giocomai.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 03/08/2026
Listening to old Radiohead albums, the lyrics sound as timely as ever
Lyrics of the Radiohead song "2 + 2 = 5"
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Giorgio Comai @giocomai.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 30/07/2026
"The Age of MegaFires - How Europe's biggest wildfires became the new normal" Visual deep dive, with maps and interactive #dataviz: miir.gr/longreads/megafires/en More context: www.europeandatajournalism.eu/cp_da…
europeandatajournalism.eu
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Giorgio Comai @giocomai.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 26/07/2026
Why would Russia care to take more direct control of South Ossetia by placing its own man in Tskhinvali? Early to tell, but perhaps creating the circumstances for trade corridors may be part of the bigger plan. Solid analysis by Tornike Zurabashvili civil.ge/archives/745468
civil.ge
Kremlin Sends Its Point Man to Tskhinvali: What to Make of It? - Civil Georgia
The dispatching of Marat Kambolov, a federal administrator with no prior connection to Tskhinvali Re
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Giorgio Comai @giocomai.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 15/07/2026
Solid piece on understanding and appreciating very big numbers: converting to time and (walking) distance may be most effective www.not-ship.com/large-numbers/?ref… #data #dataviz
not-ship.com
Understanding large values: It's our ethical duty
We can't be numb to big numbers.
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Giorgio Comai @giocomai.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 30/06/2026
I hadn't considered the issue of "illegal balconies" for quite some time. You see them around, and just get used to it until you stop noticing them. Until I saw this headline: "Demolition Blitz In Bishkek As Authorities Target 'Illegal' Balconies" - […] [Original post on mastodon.social]
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Giorgio Comai @giocomai.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 10/06/2026
A Russian mobile carrier is now offering a "plan b" option: once enabled, popular services not currently available in Russia such as Spotify and Netflix will (supposedly) work normally, without using a VPN. Yet websites actively blocked by Russian authorities will remain blocked. And some […]
mastodon.social
Original post on mastodon.social
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Giorgio Comai @giocomai.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 05/06/2026
#Romania politics, and the public commentariat around it, is ever more puzzling. The supposedly "responsible" parties further insist on not seeking compromise solutions to demonstrate how irresponsible was their former partner, even after the president proposes for PM a candidate that is […]
mastodon.social
Original post on mastodon.social
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Giorgio Comai @giocomai.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 04/06/2026
The South Caucasus "is now a region between other people’s conflicts and less defined by its own." "Since the start of the Iran conflict at the end of February, flight maps have shown a narrow band of aeroplanes swarming across the mountainous region between the Black and Caspian Seas, as they […]
mastodon.social
Original post on mastodon.social
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Giorgio Comai @giocomai.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 18/05/2026
RE: mastodon.social/@vicgrinberg/116594… My home valley! ❤️ One of those cases where "I'm in this picture, and I like it"
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Giorgio Comai @giocomai.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 17/05/2026
"Conflict prediction markets" - what happens when political or military insiders (e.g. US or Israeli air force pilots) win money based on insider knowledge or depending on direct outcomes of their activities. Worrying stuff, riveting consequences […]
mastodon.social
Original post on mastodon.social
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Giorgio Comai @giocomai.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 14/05/2026
RE: mastodon.social/@puntofisso/1165742… Less love, more empowerment in the lyrics of #Eurovision songs. And slightly less English in recent years. Check out this visual exploration by @puntofisso puntofisso.net/eurovision
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Giorgio Comai @giocomai.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 12/05/2026
This "Foreign Affairs" piece seems to outline the entshittification logic applied to authoritarianism, with business oligarchs who initially believe it's all great for them, eventually coming to grips with their diminished, even vulnerable role under […] [Original post on mastodon.social]
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Giorgio Comai @giocomai.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 11/05/2026
NYTimes investigation on pro-Israel advertising at #Eurovision and other shenanigans. www.nytimes.com/2026/05/11/world/eu… This is only part of the story, on both the Israeli side and […]
mastodon.social
Original post on mastodon.social
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Giorgio Comai @giocomai.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 10/05/2026
Some of the reasons why it's difficult for Russia's returning military staff to find a job in the civilian sector, if they somehow get the chance to go back. In a nutshell: the fact that they served in the army is supposedly self-evident proof that if they […] [Original post on mastodon.social]
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Giorgio Comai @giocomai.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 09/05/2026
Exactly 10 years ago, on 9 May, I was at the "Victory day" parade in Abkhazia. Here are some pictures I took: www.flickr.com/photos/giocomai/albu… #Abkhazia
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Giorgio Comai @giocomai.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 06/05/2026
> "Stigler’s Law of Eponymy. Named after Stephen Stigler, a statistics professor at the University of Chicago, it states that no scientific discovery is named after its original discoverer. As Mr Stigler wryly admits, he wasn’t the first to come up with this observation" Amusing stuff from "A […]
mastodon.social
Original post on mastodon.social
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Giorgio Comai @giocomai.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 04/05/2026
Not like this... www.euronews.com/2026/05/04/diploma…
euronews.com
Diplomats survey Karabakh reconstruction as peace settles in
European and US diplomats surveyed Azerbaijan’s reconstruction of Karabakh and expressed support for the peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan settling on the region gripped by decades of conflict until 2025.
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Giorgio Comai @giocomai.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 27/04/2026
What's terrible about Chernobyl, is the fact that it happened under authoritarian rule: there was a government ready to hide facts and not act upon scientific evidence for political expediency, ignoring the damage that this choice may bring for millions of people. Democracies would never to the […]
mastodon.social
Original post on mastodon.social
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Giorgio Comai @giocomai.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 26/04/2026
Fantastic site providing a detailed catalogue rich with metadata of all the rubber ducks found in the canals of Leiden in recent years by local volunteers who kayak in the canal to collect floating litter. Truly fantastic stuff. Website made with digital archives CMS @Omeka
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Giorgio Comai @giocomai.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 17/04/2026
Last pic from #ijf26: group pic along with colleagues working as part of the project "Media Organisations for Stronger Transnational Journalism" - www.balcanicaucaso.org/en/projects/… EU support to independent journalism takes many forms. It is […] [Original post on mastodon.social]
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Giorgio Comai @giocomai.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 16/04/2026
About to start: session at #ijf26 (and live streaming!) dedicated to open social web and news media organisations. Featuring Mastodon director @mellifluousbox , @PaulNemitz , @bjoernsta , and Bluesky COO Rose Wang […] [Original post on mastodon.social]
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Giorgio Comai @giocomai.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 16/04/2026
#ijf26
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Giorgio Comai @giocomai.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 13/04/2026
As I'm involved in an EU-funded initiative creating new training and upskilling modules for data journalism, we're busy doing some preliminary desk research on currently available programmes across Europe. We're looking into both higher education / university programmes, and other professional […]
mastodon.social
Original post on mastodon.social
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Giorgio Comai @giocomai.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 13/04/2026
Already on my way to Perugia for a bunch of meetings and the International Journalism Festival in the days ahead www.journalismfestival.com #ijf26
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Giorgio Comai @giocomai.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 11/04/2026
Youth activists in #Russia were condemned to between 6 and 12 years of prison for peaceful protests. zona.media/article/2026/04/07/spring Terrible. Official list of their crimes: Organizing and participating in an extremist community; participating in the activities of a public […]
mastodon.social
Original post on mastodon.social
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Giorgio Comai @giocomai.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 30/03/2026
Increased blocking of Telegram in Russia reduced by 41% the views of pro-Kremlin channels, but only by 16.5% for opposition/independent channels. novayagazeta.eu/articles/2026/03/27… #Russia #Telegram
novayagazeta.eu
Провластные каналы потеряли на блокировках Telegram 41% аудитории. Это в 2,5 раза больше, чем оппозиционные — Новая газета Европа
С середины марта власти усиливают блокировки телеграма. По данным международного исследовательского проекта OONI, в прошлую пятницу доля аномалий при обращениях к телеграму увеличилась с 18% до 75%, и этот процент все еще держится на высоком уровне. «Новая-Европа» продолжает следить за тем, как это влияет на аудиторию телеграм-каналов. Мы выяснили, что провластные медиа потеряли на фоне блокировок 41% просмотров, в то время как оппозиционные — 16.5%. Частичный переход провластной аудитории в MAX не компенсирует потери.
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