jacobbaskin.bsky.social @jacobbaskin.bsky.social · 23/09/2026It’s always been a weakness of philosophy of mind that many theorists are uninterested in engaging seriously with neuroscience. Now they have another field to not engage seriously with. 2100
jacobbaskin.bsky.social @jacobbaskin.bsky.social · 17/09/2026So the problem with fast fashion is that the clothes are made of plastic and end up in landfills right? Isn’t…isn’t that just carbon sequestration? 000
Reposted by @jacobbaskin.bsky.socialSam @samd.bsky.social · 05/09/2026ngl I’m starting to get a “covid in february 2020” vibe when it comes to the latest AI models anyone on here with the view that “it’s just a fancy autocomplete” needs to update their priors fast because the range of outcomes could be much much worse than that 2036728
jacobbaskin.bsky.social @jacobbaskin.bsky.social · 02/09/2026People have counterproductive responses to AI anthropomorphism. They’re not people but pretending that they are (albeit weird ones) gives you better intuitions about what they do than just saying they’re not over and over again. 000
Reposted by @jacobbaskin.bsky.socialWilliam Adler @williamadler78.bsky.social · 01/09/2026This kind of reaction from mainstream Israeli military and political leaders is all too rare and much more is needed, but it's something. www.nytimes.com/2026/08/31/w...nytimes.comThese Generals Fought for Israel. Now They See ‘Jewish Terrorism’ as the Threat.A growing number of former Israeli generals, intelligence officials and prime ministers are accusing settlers in the West Bank of committing ethnic cleansing with government support. “Once a society b... 16221
Reposted by @jacobbaskin.bsky.socialNathan Goldwag @goldwagnathan.bsky.social · 17/08/2026If you exceed the speed limit you deserve to pay a fine like a criminal 31127198
jacobbaskin.bsky.social @jacobbaskin.bsky.social · 23/07/2026The correct answer is that no one thing is outside the tent if you support party leadership on like 75%+ of stuff and are holding what would otherwise be the other guys’ seat. 020
Reposted by @jacobbaskin.bsky.socialStephen Jacob Smith @stephenjacobsmith.com · 21/07/2026Dispiriting to rely on and advocate for transit knowing that after the MTA spends $100M’s and puts riders through years of service disruption to upgrade the G’s signaling, we’ll still have the same crappy headways because politicians treat the MTA as a jobs program rather than as transit 1554
jacobbaskin.bsky.social @jacobbaskin.bsky.social · 18/07/2026This Flatbush busway is going to be a bust if the MTA can’t dispatch better. This morning the B67 skipped a run entirely and then two B41s came bunched from the terminal. 000
jacobbaskin.bsky.social @jacobbaskin.bsky.social · 16/07/2026My lungs aren’t a fan but damn, the city is atmospheric tonight. 110
jacobbaskin.bsky.social @jacobbaskin.bsky.social · 30/06/2026New York’s local law 97 is hilarious. we want to force landlords to do energy efficiency retrofits but they’re prohibitively expensive so we play this shell game so it looks like we’re forcing them to do retrofits but don’t actually. This time: renewable energy credits! nysfocus.com/2026/06/30/l...nysfocus.comCould Hydropower Credits Undermine NYC’s Climate Law?Mayor Mamdani is facing pressure to limit an avenue for large building owners to buy credits instead of cutting emissions. 100
jacobbaskin.bsky.social @jacobbaskin.bsky.social · 03/04/2026Just picked a bag off the airport baggage claim that looked like one of ours but turned out to be my father’s in law’s. Gettier bag! 000
jacobbaskin.bsky.social @jacobbaskin.bsky.social · 31/03/2026Hmm, has the British military ever tried to forcibly open a middle eastern shipping route to navigation? I wonder, what did the Americans do about it? 020
jacobbaskin.bsky.social @jacobbaskin.bsky.social · 08/03/2026Wouldn’t it be great if we could have nice things too? 000
Reposted by @jacobbaskin.bsky.socialRobin @robinsloth.bsky.social · 05/02/2026This isn't abolition, but this includes a lot of good demands. Prohibiting Kavanaugh stops that the Court expressly allowed, requiring state consent for large operations, allowing states to sue DHS for any violations (!) Oh, and removing Kristi Noem. 518839
jacobbaskin.bsky.social @jacobbaskin.bsky.social · 22/12/2025Trying to figure out what the Yglesias haters actually believe: - You must only advocate for government action consistent with a 1.5 degree target: yay recessions I guess? - New fossil fuel infrastructure is just intrinsically bad: is this really even about climate in that case? 000
Reposted by @jacobbaskin.bsky.socialDaniel Rober @profdanrober.bsky.social · 09/12/2025This kind of corruption (when bus lanes should be moving in a light rail direction of being fenced off from traffic) reinforces cynical belief that nothing can get better in the city. 1132
Reposted by @jacobbaskin.bsky.socialMatthew Yglesias @mattyglesias.bsky.social · 09/12/2025Trump just completely selling out the national interest on this chip export question — China has way more electricity generating capacity than we do. But we have the good chips and he’s throwing it away. 2119944
jacobbaskin.bsky.social @jacobbaskin.bsky.social · 09/07/2025The Omelas transit agency, serving millions of yuppies with efficient bus service by harnessing the suffering of one poor guy in Hollis who dropped his last quarter and only has $2.65 010
Reposted by @jacobbaskin.bsky.socialJohn Ericson @johnericson.me · 07/07/2025It breaks my heart when the unions pursue shit like this, as opposed to "maybe we can find new jobs or existing employees, or just run more service". Also, it's a big middle finger to any Mamdani administration attempts to make transit cheaper --- can't revenue while also disregarding efficiency 1496
jacobbaskin.bsky.social @jacobbaskin.bsky.social · 04/07/2025I ranked Zohran, I’d do it again even in light of the Columbia thing, but I still think the story is newsworthy and am happy the Times didn’t bury it. I hope he responds to it in an appropriate way. Am I missing something here? 000
Reposted by @jacobbaskin.bsky.socialBrad Lander @bradlander.bsky.social · 23/06/2025I’m in this for you. Andrew Cuomo is in this for Andrew Cuomo. 839960
Reposted by @jacobbaskin.bsky.socialDaniel Radosh @radosh.bsky.social · 19/06/2025This is the full-throated endorsement an editorial board that wasn't a bunch of pussies would have runnytimes.comOpinion | This Is Brad Lander’s New York 313725
Reposted by @jacobbaskin.bsky.socialThe Questionable Authority @questauthority.bsky.social · 15/06/2025The Union forever, hurrah! boys, hurrah! Down with the traitors, up with the stars; While we rally round the flag, boys, we rally once again, Shouting the battle cry of freedom! 430469
Reposted by @jacobbaskin.bsky.socialStephen Jacob Smith @stephenjacobsmith.com · 12/06/2025Zohran Mamdani is now ahead of Cuomo in one poll, and just barely within the margin of error at that. Huge own-goal by NYC’s business establishment to throw so much money at Cuomo’s campaign – I think they’d have had a better chance with Adrienne Adams or Brad Lander www.politico.com/news/2025/06...politico.comMamdani surges in new poll, leading Cuomo for first time in New York mayor's raceThe former governor has topped every voter survey since entering the race, but the democratic socialist is gaining on him. 5828
Reposted by @jacobbaskin.bsky.socialSam @samd.bsky.social · 09/06/2025Some specific examples here: 1) he shut down a nuclear plant because RFK Jr. told him to, which has been replaced by fossil fuels 2) he forced out Andy Byford at the MTA because he was jealous that Byford was getting positive press 3) he wanted to build an overpriced backwards airtrain to LGA 427949
Reposted by @jacobbaskin.bsky.socialmtsw @mtsw.bsky.social · 17/04/2025Seeing a lot of people comparing Newsom and Cuomo and I think that's not really getting close to communicating how bad Cuomo is. 38141893
Reposted by @jacobbaskin.bsky.socialSecond Ave. Sagas @2avesag.as · 25/03/2025So many smart, young people (and smart experienced people) left the MTA and NY state government during Cuomo's tenure because he was so miserable to work for. City government brain drain is a really bad problem for competency and success, and Cuomo will exacerbate it. 011527
Reposted by @jacobbaskin.bsky.socialDoug Gordon @brooklynspoke.bsky.social · 22/03/2025Don't rank Andrew Cuomo on your ballot for a lot of reasons, but a big one is that he is a bad person. 222052
jacobbaskin.bsky.social @jacobbaskin.bsky.social · 22/03/2025Proud that when *my* family was on the LES, their cringe lefty buddies knocked down tenements to build skyscrapers instead of…the opposite 050
Reposted by @jacobbaskin.bsky.socialSam @samd.bsky.social · 09/03/2025an under-appreciated reason to not rank Andrew Cuomo is that he teamed up with RFK Jr. to shut down New York’s largest nuclear power plant, causing energy costs and carbon emissions to skyrocket 331771341
Reposted by @jacobbaskin.bsky.socialStephen Jacob Smith @stephenjacobsmith.com · 02/03/2025Cuomo was governor for 10 years. He came in with a lot of experience and amassed a lot of political power. West coast states were trying hard to increase urban housing supply; he did nothing. He hounded out the best NYC Transit head we’ve ever had. He failed over and over to deliver on policy. 126635
jacobbaskin.bsky.social @jacobbaskin.bsky.social · 12/01/2025That’s not a lot though? Like 20 people’s annual emissions. Or to put it another way the engineers training the model consume more CO2 in their day to day lives than the GPUs do to train it 210
jacobbaskin.bsky.social @jacobbaskin.bsky.social · 07/12/2024If there are still Hallmark Christmas movies in 20 years there will be one about a busy London opthalmologist (Bashar al-Assad) having to move back home to take over his family business (Syria) while learning about what really matters (gassing rebels) 010
jacobbaskin.bsky.social @jacobbaskin.bsky.social · 25/11/2024My model of Elon is that he is like +5σ raw technical intuition but doesn’t have the skill or inclination to think things through at all. Like GPT-6 but with no chain of thought 000
jacobbaskin.bsky.social @jacobbaskin.bsky.social · 21/11/2024Noticing a lot of smoke breaks at the construction site down the street involve weed. Is that just…like is everyone getting high at work and we’re pretending it’s nicotine? Seems bad! 000
jacobbaskin.bsky.social @jacobbaskin.bsky.social · 13/11/2024I think it’s always been clear who Matt is writing for: staffers! He wants them to stop toning down their bosses’ centrist beliefs out of fear of offending the nonprofit groups. 000
jacobbaskin.bsky.social @jacobbaskin.bsky.social · 09/11/2024Probably my most pro-natalist belief is that being in your 70s with no kids sounds pretty grim. Obviously not everyone ends up there by choice and there are ways to deal but people go down a lot of pretty sad paths 010
jacobbaskin.bsky.social @jacobbaskin.bsky.social · 11/10/2024Just saw Megalopolis and if you are a City Liker then it’s 100% a Good Bad Movie. Adam Driver recites “To Be Or Not To Be” on top of the Panorama of the City of NY for Chrissakes! 000
Reposted by @jacobbaskin.bsky.socialStephen Jacob Smith @stephenjacobsmith.com · 27/09/2024Great article, you should read every word. Goes into the details of why the projects cost so much (scope bloat), and then the cause (no in-house capacity to sweat the details, leading to many multiples of cost from contractors with every incentive to drive scope higher) 3407
Reposted by @jacobbaskin.bsky.socialStephen Jacob Smith @stephenjacobsmith.com · 26/09/2024I don’t think it will, but I wish this Eric Adams scandal would lead to people looking in to the connection between the fire service, the fire protection industry, and public policy. Corruption happens, yes, because somebody is willing to take a bribe, but also because somebody wants to give it. 39115
jacobbaskin.bsky.social @jacobbaskin.bsky.social · 26/09/2024If government works better for everyone there’s less opportunity for graft. If the FDNY didn’t have a months long delay for sprinkler inspections, Turkey wouldn’t have had any reason to bribe Eric Adams. 000
jacobbaskin.bsky.social @jacobbaskin.bsky.social · 26/09/2024Adams is a vegan so you’d think he could stay away from turkey amirite? 000
Reposted by @jacobbaskin.bsky.socialChris Hayes @chrislhayes.bsky.social · 26/09/2024Was half expecting someone to have already photoshopped an image of Diddy, Sam Bankman Fried and Adams together in MDC. 2043715
