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Matt Crespi

@mattcrespi.bsky.social
863 followers 500 following 3.8K posts

Social scientist. Researcher of networks, policy, and innovation. Enthusiast of maps, graphs and sandwiches. Former top 25 duck chess player.

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Matt Crespi @mattcrespi.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
Good note! I'll add that it's also a good day to check your registration and/or register to vote even if you don't live in one of these three states. Do it now while you're thinking about it!
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Matt Crespi @mattcrespi.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Seeing a ton of ads for Domino's new pizza for one, and it's kind of hard to get excited when Pizza Hut has had the same technology for 43 years. Is there any other industry where two leading companies can stay competitive when one is four decades behind the other?
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Matt Crespi @mattcrespi.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Happy Gritty's Birthday to all who celebrate. (I will be celebrating in the traditional way of eating a sheet cake hurled at my face.)
static.klipy.com
Gritty's Explosive Confetti Cake Entrance
Alt: Gritty hurling a sheet cake at the camera
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Matt Crespi @mattcrespi.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Apropos of nothing, a fun and inspiring story from this decade is that Uzbekistan has become a chess powerhouse, and I don't think that news has spread much beyond chess circles. Also inspirationally crushing it in the chess world: Ukrainian women and Indian teenagers.
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Matt Crespi @mattcrespi.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Doomscrolling DoorDash
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Matt Crespi @mattcrespi.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Feels like a good time for a childhood vacation story. While in NYC, one of my brothers got sick and wound up vomiting on the sidewalk right in front of the Carnegie Deli as my panicking mother personally explained to every single person walking by "HE DIDN'T EAT HERE!" abc7ny.com/post/nyc-ico...
abc7ny.com
New York City icon Carnegie Deli reopening in Midtown 10 years after closing
It's official -- the Carnegie Deli is coming back to life 10 years after it closed.
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Matt Crespi @mattcrespi.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
Downgrade a movie: The Budapest Hotel
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Reposted by Matt Crespi
Sarah McAnulty, Ph.D. @sarahmackattack.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
Alright everybody, time to text the teachers in your life. The fall semester is open at SkypeAScientist and we are ready to match classrooms, scout troops, library groups, and more with scientists! Tell the educators in your life, and send them to SkypeAScientist.com
A frog uses its comically long tongue to catch a fleeing fly and the words say “send this to a teacher” pointing right. Then under the tongue it says “Skype a scientist matches classrooms with scientists for free Q&As” and there’s a little pond scene with lily pads and spatterdock flowers and a rock with a snail on it and a salamander with the words get a match at Skype scientist.com
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Matt Crespi @mattcrespi.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
All right, #PhilSky (and anyone else), help me out here. What are the ethics around using AI to write a browser plugin to add " -ai" to the end of all my Google searches? (Appending that removes the Gemini results.) I'm not good enough at this kind of coding to do it without help.
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Matt Crespi @mattcrespi.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
I'm 41 years old. I have been hiding a secret my whole life: I've never had a dino nugget. But thanks to a sale at Costco, an Instacart credit, and some impulsive behavior this morning, I am now the proud owner of FIVE POUNDS of dino nuggets. Send me your best tips & ideas for eating dino nuggets.
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Matt Crespi @mattcrespi.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
A lot of things are getting worse in the world today, but the last few years have seen a number of remarkably good results from cancer researchers. Reminder that there are still lots of people out there not only trying to make the world better, but succeeding.
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Matt Crespi @mattcrespi.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
MOM's Organic Market is banning employees from wearing masks: baltimorefishbowl.com/stories/new-... I used to love them, but time to boycott. Saying that "I have an immunocompromised family member I don't want to kill because a customer coughed on me" isn't a good enough reason is pretty evil.
baltimorefishbowl.com
New mask ban at MOM's Organic Market sparks backlash
A new policy at MOM's Organic Market for employees is causing serious backlash and controversy among workers, management, and customers.
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Matt Crespi @mattcrespi.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
#StarTrek question: Why do all Enterprises, but no other Starfleet ships, require all their captains to be good at horses?
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Matt Crespi @mattcrespi.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
Everyone knows Bluesky, at its finest in a functioning state of the world, is a platform for millennials to discuss Star Trek, share fun animal facts, and argue about which city has better pizza, public transit, architecture, etc.
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Matt Crespi @mattcrespi.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
@thewheatgerm.bsky.social A friend of mine is grieving the recent loss of a loved one and told me one of her only sources of joy is "Ben's pants choices on Jet Lag," and I just thought you'd like to know the positive impact you're having on the world as a professional athlete and fashion icon.
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Matt Crespi @mattcrespi.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
Computers desperately need a "go to whichever software or browser tab just made that noise or is currently making a noise" button. Because what the HECK did I just hear? I've never heard that chime in my life. Did some alert get a makeover? Am I on a website that's trying to get my attention? HELP!
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Matt Crespi @mattcrespi.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
There's currently $33 million in a Kalshi market for betting on when the US will confirm that aliens exist. I don't really know what the implications of this are, but it can't be good for society, right?
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Matt Crespi @mattcrespi.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
I dream of a future in which this isn't an evergreen comment.
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Matt Crespi @mattcrespi.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
One of my favorite nonprofits is doing their annual fundraiser. Skype a Scientist supports science education all over the country by video conferencing working scientists directly into classrooms to interact with students who might not otherwise get the chance to meet a professional scientist. (1/2)
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Matt Crespi @mattcrespi.bsky.social · 05/07/2026
The @spreadbagelry.bsky.social bagel I ordered vs bagel I got. If this is a metaphor for how corporate America feels about Pride stuff outside of their performative June marketing campagins, it's excellent social commentary.
A screenshot of a rainbow bagel, with red, orange, yellow, green and blue streaks and swirls clearly visible and defined.A photo of my "rainbow" bagel that's mostly brown with a weird bubbled texture and tinted splotches where you can tell other colors used to be. Imagine if a bagel could catch bubonic plague.
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Matt Crespi @mattcrespi.bsky.social · 21/06/2026
Someday I hope to also experience a moment of pure joy and vindication like this.
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Matt Crespi @mattcrespi.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
A reasonable society would make companies internalize these costs inflicted on customers. That patient should be financially compensated for the time wasted plus the company should pay for an audit to see who else was unfairly denied medication who couldn't figure out the system.
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Matt Crespi @mattcrespi.bsky.social · 27/04/2026
Does anyone need soil? I have 150 quarts I didn't order and they won't take it back. Bluesky is definitely the right place for this I assume, since everyone here is a Deep Space Nine fan from Chicagoland or Greater Philadelphia.
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Matt Crespi @mattcrespi.bsky.social · 31/03/2026
Happy International #TransDayOfVisibility! It's a day to celebrate our transgender neighbors, but it's also a day to remember that visibility is not safe for everyone. It's up to the rest of the world to make it a safe place for every transgender person to be seen and celebrated. #tdov
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Matt Crespi @mattcrespi.bsky.social · 30/01/2026
Public transit generates a ton of value for society that the transit providers can't capture in revenue. When critical infrastructure for health, daily life, and/or participation in government and democracy isn't accessible, it can create harm and barriers far more costly than bus service.
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Matt Crespi @mattcrespi.bsky.social · 11/01/2026
Is there any way to opt out of my apps updating with Christmas themed icons? Like I'm not allowed to be Jewish on my own phone?
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Matt Crespi @mattcrespi.bsky.social · 09/01/2026
This is really amazing and also means we need to quickly reevaluate a lot of "known" findings. Especially problematic because I can't even remember which facts in my head come from mturk studies!
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Matt Crespi @mattcrespi.bsky.social · 09/01/2026
Important, valid, and distressing confirmation of discrimination against mothers. I know #FollowFriday isn't for four more hours, but give Professor Holbein a follow anyway. He's truly excellent at curating and explaining research that's interesting and/or important.
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Matt Crespi @mattcrespi.bsky.social · 14/12/2025
Found a theme for my New Years Party.
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Matt Crespi @mattcrespi.bsky.social · 28/11/2025
Might get a little flu shot bullseye tattooed on one arm. This is really neat.
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Matt Crespi @mattcrespi.bsky.social · 26/11/2025
Philly Icarus
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Matt Crespi @mattcrespi.bsky.social · 15/11/2025
Got our 2026 nature calendar from Meg Lemieur and @sarahmackattack.bsky.social, and it is amazing. Beautiful, funny, interesting, and even emotionally moving. When the year is over, we are going to be saving many of these pictures. Highly recommend.
Cover of the 2026 "love notes from nature calendar."
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Matt Crespi @mattcrespi.bsky.social · 29/10/2025
With Microsoft launching a new AI-powered Clippy, I'm going to double down on this joke.
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Matt Crespi @mattcrespi.bsky.social · 29/10/2025
TIL Wegmans has a cheese-aging facility containing 7 large rooms, each replicating the climate of a different European cheese cave. They partner with cheesemakers (many local to their region), then make unique collaborative products with their aging process. www.wegmans.com/cheese-caves
wegmans.com
Cheese Caves - Wegmans
For over a decade, we’ve proudly sourced the best artisan cheeses from around the world and ripened them to perfection in our Cheese Caves in Rochester, NY.
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Matt Crespi @mattcrespi.bsky.social · 28/10/2025
Great idea, and remember, the best thing to give a food bank is money. They can buy groceries cheaper than you can, and they know their inventory and needs better. If you have extra food items to donate, by all means, but don't go buy things specifically for a food bank. Give them the $ directly!
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Matt Crespi @mattcrespi.bsky.social · 08/10/2025
Me, pulling out my fancy chef's knife to chop vegetables:
Drawing of Shane Falco (played by Keanu Reeves in the movie The Replacements) with his famous quote, "Pain heals. Chicks dig scars. Glory lasts forever."
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Matt Crespi @mattcrespi.bsky.social · 25/09/2025
Every town needs a blogblog.
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Matt Crespi @mattcrespi.bsky.social · 25/09/2025
Not to be that guy, but you can get them for a third this price at Costco.
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Matt Crespi @mattcrespi.bsky.social · 20/08/2025
How does everybody feel about this?
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Matt Crespi @mattcrespi.bsky.social · 12/08/2025
Just found out my tailor planted a bomb in his own shop as part of a ruse to avoid an actual assassination attempt, so you can't convince me that crime isn't up.
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Matt Crespi @mattcrespi.bsky.social · 09/08/2025
Nobody will get this reference, but serious Sleve McDichael vibes from GPT-5.
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Matt Crespi @mattcrespi.bsky.social · 06/08/2025
Rule of Claw
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Matt Crespi @mattcrespi.bsky.social · 01/08/2025
LLM usage in academic literature reviews will be an absolute bonanza for authors who have zero citations due to academia's strong bias towards papers that exist.
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Matt Crespi @mattcrespi.bsky.social · 01/08/2025
Pittsburgh seems to be on pace to quite accidentally have their 2nd successful "defund the police" movement. (The 1st being when they stopped making police do medical transport and adopted the model of a local nonprofit to scale up ambulance and EMT services, which we know now is way better.)
Two articles in someone's news feed (taken from a reddit post): the first is about Pittsburgh's drop in homicides and the role of violence prevention efforts, and the second one is about how "Frightening" it is that Pittsburgh police staffing has sunk to a 20-year low
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Sarah McAnulty, Ph.D. @sarahmackattack.bsky.social · 28/07/2025
I wrote up a protocol for running art + activism events like Climate Change Crafting Night. We need more community, & we need people feeling empowered to take action and not just curl up in a despondent ball. Help them find the energy with art & community! Protocol: docs.google.com/document/d/1...
docs.google.com
Activism Art Nights Protocol
Protocol: Activism Art Nights By Sarah McAnulty, Ph.D., Skype a Scientist Last updated July 25, 2025 In the moment we’re living in, people need community more than ever. There are many problems for p...
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Sarah McAnulty, Ph.D. @sarahmackattack.bsky.social · 21/07/2025
Hey Philly! If you like art & the environment please repost this! On Wednesday we’re getting together for climate change crafting night! We’ll learn about actions all of us can advocate for to slow climate change, then make some art to share that information with others! RSVP here lu.ma/edq742p1
lu.ma
Climate Change Crafting Night · Luma
Addressing climate change can feel overwhelming! Come learn what we can do to address it in Philadelphia, and make art to spread the word. All supplies will be…
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Matt Crespi @mattcrespi.bsky.social · 18/07/2025
A lot of things have been terrible since March, 2020, and while I know correlation is not causation, it's pretty interesting that that's exactly when McDonald's stopped serving all day breakfast.
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Matt Crespi @mattcrespi.bsky.social · 16/07/2025
Maybe people would be more likely to wear a mask or take other precautions if they knew that "post-COVID alcohol intolerance" was one of the possible outcomes.
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Matt Crespi @mattcrespi.bsky.social · 16/07/2025
Clippy walked so Copilot could also walk.
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Matt Crespi @mattcrespi.bsky.social · 15/07/2025
OK, here's my movie pitch. Star Trek: The Hangover, in which the cast of Lower Decks minus Boimler wakes up after a night of drinking Romulan ale and has to backtrack through their previous day to find out where he is.
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