iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Allan Konopka @hamatsa50.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

1. This is *scholarship* -- should go on preprint servers. 2. The paper is awesome! Great not only for teaching but re: research. 3. Caught my eye re: my latest blog disputing notion that existence of amino acid auxotrophs = evolved 'metabolic cooperation' must be common. Sub aa for P = alternative

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Allan Konopka @hamatsa50.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Nice analysis. BTW if collegiate Olympic sports exist to develop athletes to win Olympic medals, they aren't particularly effective. USA ranks ~40th in *per capita* medals. Scandinavian and Caribbean countries rank much higher.

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Allan Konopka @hamatsa50.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

The latest from Think Like a Microbe thinkmicrobe.substack.com/p/jumping-to... What should be the standard of evidence for a claim? Here, 'metabolic cooperation' between auxotrophs and prototrophs 🧪🧫 #philsci

thinkmicrobe.substack.com

Jumping to conclusions

I follow Cameron Thrash on social media as he regularly posts links to interesting microbial ecology papers.

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Allan Konopka @hamatsa50.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

Enjoyed it (and your shoutout to Transfermarkt). I would love some a posteriori analysis (via Transfermarkt valuations before vs 2y after a transfer) to determine the frequency with which transfers are great, OK, or a bust

Allan Konopka @hamatsa50.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

Among other things like data centers and war casualties

Allan Konopka @hamatsa50.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

Both Illinois AND Indiana are goldmines of high school imagery. From up north in IL ... Dekalb Barbs, Rock Island Rocks. Indiana: Frankfort Hot Dogs, Logansport Berries, Martinsville Artesians, Delphi Oracles

It isn't necessary that a commentator had played in EPL. Pro experience a plus, but lots of former EPL buffoons around (Carragher, Richards), many mediocrities, and rare exceptional talents (Thierry Henry)

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With you 💯 I am perpetually annoyed with British slang that is meaningless to Americans. "Squeaky bum time" That their former player-analysts are as clueless about the Laws of the game as any American one. aka "that's soft." Let's develop and nurture our talent. Know who is excellent? Kasey Keller

You do realize that it is only the marquee matches that have broadcast teams on site. All the secondary matches are announced from a remote studio.

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Allan Konopka @hamatsa50.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

Will be interested in your takes re safety. IMO US institutions don’t take safety seriously enough

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Just read your article. I am also reading Max Weber's “Politics as a Vocation” Lecture (1919). He called this out a century ago: Workers do not possess the property, financial reserves, or flexible schedules required to sustain a lifestyle dedicated to unremunerated or unpredictable political office

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Allan Konopka @hamatsa50.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

"Quirky" is pretty much a Coen Brothers trademark

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Allan Konopka @hamatsa50.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

New post for Think Like a Microbe: Zoonoses are rising in frequency, and can be framed as a complex system 🧪🧫 #philsci thinkmicrobe.substack.com/p/batsviruse...

thinkmicrobe.substack.com

Bats/viruses/humans

An interaction system driven by both direct and indirect mechanisms

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Allan Konopka @hamatsa50.bsky.social · 16/08/2026

Three words: green ... lipped ... mussels

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Allan Konopka @hamatsa50.bsky.social · 16/08/2026

If you get to Dunedin, you need to get a bit farther S to the Catlins -- lovely country!!

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Allan Konopka @hamatsa50.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

Your mission, should you choose to accept it … is to understand rugby and cricket by the time you return

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Allan Konopka @hamatsa50.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

@victor-matheson.bsky.social @jcbradbury.com Gents, loved your presentation with Portland council members. Victor, particularly loved your shout-outs to MLS/NWSL Keep up the great work!!

Allan Konopka @hamatsa50.bsky.social · 02/08/2026

Haters gotta hate .... Appreciate your analysis + your challenge to people to show where you are wrong. What an academic should be doing

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Allan Konopka @hamatsa50.bsky.social · 02/08/2026

When it comes to cow dung, no one outshines Caryophanon

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Allan Konopka @hamatsa50.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

I don't think so -- they have been at odds with Infantino for years. L'affaire Bolagun did not sit well with them but could do nothing. Here they have real power and I believe the will to use it. Just think of UEFA as the Big Ten + SEC

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Allan Konopka @hamatsa50.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

"The idea that federal legislation should hinge on the explicit support of the entity being regulated sets a dangerous precedent. " -- Love 'ya, Matt but you are seriously out of touch on this: Boeing/ 737 safety Purdue Pharma / oxycontin Offshore Oil Drilling Wall Street / OTC derivatives

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Allan Konopka @hamatsa50.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

US Dept Energy recently announced first funded projects for Genesis Mission (AI integration) -- here are some related to #microbial #ecology [yes, I used AI to pluck these from the announcement] 🧪🧫.

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Allan Konopka @hamatsa50.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

@mattbrown.bsky.social I am deeply disappointed that you provided a forum for Kyle McMillen to tout AD 'economic benefits'. The consensus among sports economists is that these are wildly exaggerated and not credible. I hope you will give a for-real sports economist an opportunity to rebut this.

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Allan Konopka @hamatsa50.bsky.social · 26/07/2026

I am thinking of doing next Think Like a Microbe blog on zoonoses. Reading a 2025 NAS report on "Preventing Patient Zero" which has been perfunctory so far but this was very cool ... by Erik Karlsson, Institut Pasteur du Cambodge, @eakarlsson.bsky.social 🧪🧫

Allan Konopka @hamatsa50.bsky.social · 26/07/2026

American fans finally wising up re these low level exhibition matches

Allan Konopka @hamatsa50.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

Just up on Think Like a Microbe -- a sequel to my last post on AI in Biology 🧪🧫 #philsci open.substack.com/pub/thinkmic...

open.substack.com

What prompted me to look into AI?

Widgets, Hallucinations, Vibe-coding, Oh My!

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Allan Konopka @hamatsa50.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

“This narrow focus presents a major bottleneck in … microbiological … research, as it risks creating an incomplete view of an organism’s biology based solely on existing knowledge.” I would submit problem most acute in microbial ecology — unk’s functions central to enviro v culture conditions

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Allan Konopka @hamatsa50.bsky.social · 19/07/2026

They’ve made 2 dangerous ✂️ tackles (first by Mac Allister) with only one cautioned. Slovenian ref not up to speed reffing a South American team

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Reposted by Allan Konopka

Eoin Brodie @elbrodie.bsky.social · 17/07/2026

Join us for an exciting #AGU2026 session that integrates microbial trait inference, trait-based biogeochemical modeling, and the application of machine learning to link microbial genomics to elemental cycling across any Earth system environment. Submit by August 5th: agu.confex.com/agu/agu26/pr...

agu.confex.com

From Genomes to Biogeochemical Function: Novel Approaches for Decoding and Representing Microbiome Traits in the Earth System

Microbiomes drive biogeochemical cycling across Earth's critical zones (soils, oceans, rivers, sediments, deep subsurface), yet our ability to translate genomic data into the ecologically and biogeoch...

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Allan Konopka @hamatsa50.bsky.social · 09/07/2026

Plus karma as the play really was a dive by him

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Allan Konopka @hamatsa50.bsky.social · 09/07/2026

I have previously made the argument that goal dimensions should be increased by 10%, based on the difference in height between Englishmen in 1860 and the 21st C.

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Allan Konopka @hamatsa50.bsky.social · 09/07/2026

New on Think Like a Microbe -- I dip my toe (hesitatingly) into A.I. open.substack.com/pub/thinkmic...

open.substack.com

Ay! Ay! Ay! A.I.

AI in Biology/Microbial Ecology

Allan Konopka @hamatsa50.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

IMO much of what we have seen is less 'cheating' than referees obsessing over what the Pharisees (the assessors) will say if they don't follow Letter (rather than Spirit) of Laws/Instructions They know that future assignments depend upon the Pharisees Would love to see journo dig into assessment

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Allan Konopka @hamatsa50.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

What body sets instructions to match officials (eg, 'let the game flow') for WC? Does it include assessors? Do you think referees adhere to the letter rather than spirit of Laws/instructions in fear of what assessors will say (and impact further assignments)?

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Fair, although the schadenfreude from proximity would be exhilarating. Enjoyed today's EP. 40 y soccer fan-atic here. Been thinking about Brazil. As you say, a few excellent players, but world has caught up technically so the Seleção unlikely to dominate as in past.

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Just curious if you root for Michigan when they aren’t playing tOSU 🤔

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As a USMNT fan, I second that emotion

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With Bellingham 2nd & Gordon honorable mention for terrorizing Mexico’s left side defense

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