Sign in

meshm

@meshm.bsky.social
586 followers 639 following 1.2K posts

Minneapolis-based tinkerer. Making computers do science at the University of Minnesota. Into bikes, city infrastructure, and local politics

PostsRepliesMedia
meshm @meshm.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Thrilled to share one of my big work projects over the past year: Minnesota Flora—the Bell Museum's future home for the beloved Minnesota Wildflowers Information website: mnflora.umn.edu
mnflora.umn.edu
Minnesota Flora
Carefully curated over 20 years, Minnesota Flora is a digital field guide covering over 1,800 native and non-native plant species found throughout our state's diverse ecosystems.
1257
meshm @meshm.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Someone drove into a hole on University Ave yesterday mndaily.com/top-story/ca...
Car nose first in roadway hole, only rear wheels visible. Construction workers look on and one is on the phone
130
Reposted by meshm
Soren Stevenson @sorenwithward8.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
On Friday, three members of the Board of Estimate and Taxation (BET) released a letter expressing concern about a pattern of unsustainable and unaccountable spending within the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD).
26930
meshm @meshm.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
On January 14, CBP agents pulled into a UMN parking lot and blocked the intersection in front of the Humphrey School, but UMN continued to claim there was no ICE activity on campus. With today's conference in this building, let's not forget the U's dangerously muddy comms during that time
A black suburban stopped across two crosswalks at the 19th Ave S and 3rd St intersection, with the Humphrey School building in the background Five masked agents wearing tactical gear standing in the intersection
0324
Reposted by meshm
Sneha Narayan @snehanarayan.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
I’m at this conference, highly recommend this live thread. Seen some incredible quant and qual research talks so far. Currently listening to an international law expert carefully making the argument that elements of Operation Metro Surge amount to crimes against humanity. It’s sobering.
1113
Reposted by meshm
Infrastructure is politics @rational.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Lina Khan has pointed out that have robust and well-developed theories of product liability law. What we are missing is *enforcement* www.commondreams.org/news/ai-liab...
commondreams.org
AI Firms Can and Must Face Liability for 'Dangerous, Unvetted Products,' Says Lina Khan | Common Dreams
Former FTC Chair Lina Khan demands action on dangerous AI, calling for accountability for companies like OpenAI and Anthropic. Should lawmakers impose regulations to prevent AI from causing harm? The ...
1282100
meshm @meshm.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
On the first day of classes, the University of Minnesota surprise-launched a slightly different maroon-and-gold color scheme and in the process managed to fuck up the logo on umn.edu.
Screenshot of umn.edu homepage. The block-M word mark is cut off so it just says "University of M" in the header. The header is also a slightly darker shade of maroon than the page background, which is still using the previous brand color.
2183
meshm @meshm.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
Flock gets all the attention, but Minneapolis PD uses a different vendor of license plate reader cameras (Insight LPR). They are usually mounted on stoplight mast arms and they are installed at 30 intersections around the city. As of late last year I added them all to deflock.me
Traffic signal mast arm with two low-profile rectangular boxes mounted on them, pointed in opposite directionsCloseup of the Insight camera devices. The top has a metal hood overhanging the front, and the camera end has two circles (the cameras) with a larger rectangle next to them containing infrared lights
171
meshm @meshm.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
I had the UMN anniversary apple crisp ice cream yesterday not realizing it was just released this week. It's the best UMN ice cream flavor I've tried. Get it at Coffman or in St Paul (under $3 for a generous scoop)! cfans.umn.edu/175-ice-crea...
cfans.umn.edu
175th Anniversary Ice Cream Flavor
Produced on the St. Paul CampusGolden Gopher ice cream is made in the University’s Joseph J. Warthesen Food Processing Center — or Pilot Plant — in the Department of Food Science and Nutrition.CFANS s...
040
meshm @meshm.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
Gonna start calling it the Mancala effect and gaslighting anyone who tries to correct me
260
Reposted by meshm
Ian Dees @iandees.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
Sure @nerd4cities.bsky.social's video on Minneapolis touches on the great progress the city has made on cycling infrastructure, but it's also a really moving recognition of trauma the city has gone through recently. Definitely worth a watch: www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1qN...
youtube.com
Is Minneapolis Too Nice for Its Own Good?
YouTube video by Ray Delahanty | CityNerd
0167
meshm @meshm.bsky.social · 09/08/2026
@wedge.live are you collecting royalties from cat tours in other cities?
2132
meshm @meshm.bsky.social · 29/06/2026
You will need to compile libgenders yourself if a nonbinary isn't available for your platform.
Programming with Genders

Many different APIs have been developed that allow programmers to parse
and query the genders file.  "libgenders" is a C API which can be linked
by including genders.h and linking the library libgenders.  "libgendersplusplus"
is a C++ class built on top of libgenders.  "Libgenders" is a Perl module
developed with Perl extensions.  "Genders" is another Perl module, but offers
a more traditional Perl API than "Libgenders."  Python bindings are also
available under a "Genders" class.  The reader can learn more about these
libraries by reading the manpages libgenders(3), Libgenders(3) and Genders(3).
See "help(Genders)" for Python documentation.
352
Reposted by meshm
Alex @mplsalex.bsky.social · 20/06/2026
No amount of pedestrianization and moving buses will fix how purposefully hostile downtown is to people.
A small space for sitting and performances with a large sculpture, completely fenced in.
36711
meshm @meshm.bsky.social · 15/06/2026
My museum colleagues found a pile of old slide carousels with educational plant photos and just got them professionally scanned. They look so damn good this might be the thing that gets me into film photography
A branch of a fruiting tree, perhaps wild apple, with rusty red leavesA wild raspberry with small dark blue berry clusters on forking branches. The leaves are slightly out of focus behind the branchAn explosion of white flowers covers a tree branch, a bee is sticking its head into oneWide shot of a tree with feathery foliage against a partly cloudy background
120
meshm @meshm.bsky.social · 12/06/2026
Supply Chain Summer is coming for Linux distros archlinux.org/news/active-...
archlinux.org
Arch Linux - News: Active AUR malicious packages incident
000
meshm @meshm.bsky.social · 12/06/2026
I take solace in the knowledge that even though it may seem weird and inequitable to me, this is the most efficient means of allocating capital that humanity has yet devised
150
meshm @meshm.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
This piece crystallized my discomfort with the U's AI stance. The language about not replacing human thought and using it deliberately papers over their assumption that higher AI literacy means using it more. They leave no room for avoiding AI as a valid/rational choice hr.umn.edu/supervising/...
hr.umn.edu
Why Am I So Annoyed With AI? (And What Can I Do About It?)
Explore why AI use can leave managers feeling frustrated and how to respond in a practical, development-focused way. The article offers a simple AI literacy framework, prompt elements that can improve...
050
meshm @meshm.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
Marx: The term "preroll" disgusts me. It reifies the alienation of labor as the essence of the commodity, completely neglecting the use-value and its often subversive historical context Me: Do you wanna hit this joint or not man
040
Reposted by meshm
Levi Stahl @levistahl.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
The violence in Belfast is a reminder of something I don’t want to take for granted: The fascists here hoped the response to the depredations of ICE would be similar, with people turning in or attacking their neighbors. That it was the very opposite is worth remembering in this season of despair
2136841046
Reposted by meshm
Coyle "Barricade Material" Boron @fack.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
Another case of Minnesotan Excellence.
0102
meshm @meshm.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
One benefit of doing data work for a science museum is sometimes you happen upon a cute photo of a turtle and you can keep the lil guy up on your second monitor for encouragement
Laptop with a well-lit closeup photo of a turtle
1131
Reposted by meshm
little john @littlejohn.bsky.social · 05/06/2026
A ghastly amount of our city's public space and infrastructure is now concrete rubble and overgrown weeds behind tall fencing, all in an effort to make the most vulnerable residents either die or magically disappear
14213
meshm @meshm.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
I'm at @ward2.minneapolismn.gov's panel on autonomous vehicles, with Rep. Sencer-Mura, and reps from Our Streets and labor/rideshare drivers
Robin standing in a library meeting room with six people seated at the panelist table
160
meshm @meshm.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
Me in the Capital Long-Range Improvement Committee meeting when we started cutting down the super over-budget list of proposed 2032 street rebuild projects
Crying toddler with gun meme
040
Reposted by meshm
jamelle @jamellebouie.net · 02/06/2026
another day, another story about the administration's war on knowledge itself, all in service of allow its corporate patrons free rein to rob us blind and poison our world www.nytimes.com/2026/06/01/c...
nytimes.com
Trump Administration to Dismantle Ocean Monitoring System
14457262050
meshm @meshm.bsky.social · 01/06/2026
I turned some leftover Hmong herb steamed fish into a fish salad and ate it on a bagel. #blessedlunch
050
meshm @meshm.bsky.social · 31/05/2026
C needs help covering rent again this month. I'll be matching donations up to the full amount, can we raise $700? venmo.com/u/meshmpls
079
meshm @meshm.bsky.social · 29/05/2026
Wow! A website where you can explore every song The Current has played since 2005. 124k unique songs played 2.4 million times theundercurrent.fm
theundercurrent.fm
Undercurrent — 89.3 The Current Playlist Analytics
Every song played on 89.3 The Current since December 22, 2005. Search, explore and analyze two million plays from Minnesota Public Radio's independent music station.
0135
meshm @meshm.bsky.social · 29/05/2026
First Sea Salt visit of the year... the trick is to go with so many people that waiting in line is a party in itself
130
Reposted by meshm
Ian, in the Year of the Bean🫛🫘 @mplsnightmayor.bsky.social · 28/05/2026
Me: "...and as I got closer to the light, I saw all my family and friends that had already passed away, my dog Sparky. An overwhelming feeling of love spread over me like warm sunshine." The urbanist who has been hiding in my ICU room: ACTUALLY, YOU JUST LIKE HEAVEN BECAUSE IT'S A WALKABLE COMMUNITY
1324
meshm @meshm.bsky.social · 28/05/2026
Jucy Lucys are not good. The center of a burger shouldn't be getting that hot.
050
meshm @meshm.bsky.social · 17/05/2026
The day after getting a nice tour of the hi lake murals with city art staff, I bike under the overpass twice barely noticing the art. because whenever I go thru here, I am always so focused on just getting the hell out of the place with all the cars going everywhere to perceive much else
From the freight tracks looking west down the Lake street bike path in Minneapolis. The Hiawatha overpass and a despairing expanse of pavement lie ahead, with a minivan making a left turn about to drive thru the path
1192
meshm @meshm.bsky.social · 16/05/2026
The sessions went great and got some good feedback. Unfortunately for political reasons I can't share this Cool New Plant Website publicly but believe me I will if that ever changes
050
meshm @meshm.bsky.social · 16/05/2026
I'm at Gustavus College for a master naturalists conference doing a workshop on the plant website prototype I've been working on for the last year
Woodsy classroom with about 20 people seated at tables looking at a projector screen
270
meshm @meshm.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
Our bodies are sixty three percent water, We flow, we are one. Inside our bodies we reflect the sky. Like rivers, we carry memories, Stories, healing, and better worlds. Like rivers from everywhere We converge, we dance -Poem on Samatar Crossing sculpture, Mpls
Blue steel tube bent in a large sine wave shape along a bike path, with Riverside Plaza towers in the background. A green flat metal piece is cut to fit along one crest of the wave, and this poem is laser-cut into it in handwritten lettering
040
meshm @meshm.bsky.social · 14/05/2026
Still such a great album. It's a shame I'm uncomfortable referring to the artist by his full name (RIP Jay)
Album cover for Blood Visions by Jay R-word
010
meshm @meshm.bsky.social · 10/05/2026
I visited an analog data center yesterday (the UMN library collections storage facility)
Large warehouse with 30 foot tall bookshelf stacks, partially filled with books in cardboard trays
2416
Reposted by meshm
EHB on BET @ehbforbet.bsky.social · 08/05/2026
I am extremely troubled by the amount of standby pay issued to MPD officers during Operation Metro Surge. MPD data shows some officers were paid nearly 24 hours per day for 32 days straight, while dozens were paid 8-12 extra hours each day while we stood out in the cold protecting our neighbors. 1/
4399153
meshm @meshm.bsky.social · 08/05/2026
I just re-recorded my talk because I forgot to hit record when I did it at Minnebar. In case anyone wanted to know stuff about supercomputers: www.youtube.com/watch?v=IC6a...
youtube.com
Gopher Supercomputing: The Past, Present, and Future of HPC at the University of Minnesota
YouTube video by Matthew Meshulam
1316
meshm @meshm.bsky.social · 08/05/2026
Got raising cane's for the first time in a while, did they shrinkflation their chicken tenders?
020
meshm @meshm.bsky.social · 06/05/2026
Supporting the arts by having our friend's band Latter crash at our place after their awesome show with Faetooth last night
040
meshm @meshm.bsky.social · 02/05/2026
Great live thread from my talk. Loved chatting afterwards in the hallway track Jenn!
030
Reposted by meshm
Bridget Kromhout @bridgetkromhout.bsky.social · 02/05/2026
Gopher Supercomputing: Past, Present, and Future - a delightful look at research, politics, and vintage tech in Minnesota. @meshm.bsky.social #minnebar #minnebar20
Matt speaking at MinnebarComputer news in 1976Annotated legacy data centerThen and now: furniture-cray vs modern data center
1203
meshm @meshm.bsky.social · 02/05/2026
I'm at #minnebar20! If you're here come say hi, and come to my talk at 12:30 to see how much political economy I can fit into a talk about supercomputers
060
meshm @meshm.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
Still rattled from my unusually vivid teeth falling out anxiety dream last night. I even dreamed I woke up and looked in the mirror and they were falling out even more!! This is what I get for smoking less weed
150
Reposted by meshm
Ian, in the Year of the Bean🫛🫘 @mplsnightmayor.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
Wanted to share this powerful project by public historians at UMN to document the artwork and signage of ICE abduction sites around the Twin Cities. z.umn.edu/HereandGone
z.umn.edu
Google Site
Here & Gone is a public archive of art and signs that memorialize where ICE abducted neighbors
119597
meshm @meshm.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
This week I've been listening to a lot of shows from the Aadam Jacobs live music archive that's been making the rounds, and I love this iTunes-style interface someone made for it: aadamjacobs.dunlap.ai
aadamjacobs.dunlap.ai
The Aadam Jacobs Tapes
110
meshm @meshm.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
If you're going to be at Minnebar on Saturday, come see me talk about supercomputers! sessions.minnestar.org/sessions/1937
sessions.minnestar.org
Gopher Supercomputing: Past, Present, and Future
The University of Minnesota has been a longstanding leader in scientific computing. It was the first U.S.
010
Reposted by meshm
Daniel Suitor @danielsuitor.com · 28/04/2026
crying in the club* * at my desk in the attic while I frantically write a second habeas petition for a client I got released once already two months ago who was detained by ICE this morning
171089169