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Rob Scott

@robscottanthro.bsky.social
303 followers 309 following 408 posts

Union member. Academic. Highland Park, NJ. He/Him

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Reposted by Rob Scott
Dr Katie Twomey @k2mey.eurosky.social · 28/09/2026
This is quite cool. My university is the first organisation in the world to force Microsoft to allow us to turn off copilot summaries in Word 365, after a backlash against it from staff (including, very vocally, me). That cannot have been easy for our heroic IT people so hats very much off to them!
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Rob Scott @robscottanthro.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
And an excellent talk!
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Dave Karpf @davekarpf.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Three notes: (1) this is not *just* marketing. These guys really do mean it. They are convinced they’ve built a vengeful digital god. (2) but also they’re a cult. They are not impartial scientific experts. (3) and one of the byproduct of their endless confidence is marketing hype.
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Ted McCormick @tedmccormick.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
The idea that classrooms are chiefly spaces for product testing, and that it is irresponsible pedagogy not to enforce this, is both cynical and vile, and “fuck off” is a cogent response from any professional educator to any non-teaching salescreep or tech-but-not-subject-matter expert who voices it.
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Matthew Buckley @physicsmatt.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Look, I don’t have anything against sports or college athletes but I do really have to ask where the fuck $70 million went and maybe it could have been better spent I dunno hiring some professors or something like we so desperately need to do.
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Elle Cordova @ellecordova.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Rough Draft vs Final Draft
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Josh Gondelman @joshgondelman.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
My heart goes out to the millions of people struggling to remember how to write "Thanks! Sounds great!" in an email.
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Society of Vertebrate Paleontology @societyofvertpaleo.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
The Society of Vertebrate Paleontology (SVP) has joined a series of co-plaintiffs and is suing the Trump administration for shrinking Bears Ears National Monument.
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Rob Scott @robscottanthro.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
My grandmother worked as a scientific illustrator for the Rocky Mountain Lab illustrating ticks and chiggers and has species named after her because of morphology she observed, she is rolling over in her grave, but “efficient workflow”
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Thomas Lecaque @tlecaque.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
No undergrad should be using an LLM and it's absurdly irresponsible to suggest otherwise.
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David Ho @davidho.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
Former USAID disaster-response chief @jeremykonyndyk.bsky.social suggested that the Trump regime’s DOGE funding cuts to USAID, including the SERVIR program, impacted flood prediction and early warning systems in Nepal and made it way more deadly.
rawstory.com
Unsettling question raised over Trump admin's role in devastating Nepal floods
The devastating flash floods in Nepal this week that killed at least 670 people and left around 3,000 missing — including 90 Americans — might have claimed fewer lives if not for the actions of the Tr...
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Roman Sheremeta @rshereme.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
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Peter du Toit @peterdutoit.com · 30/08/2026
We can *absolutely* not look away from this. This is from the frontlines of the climate crisis. This is at ~1.5ºC of heating. We are firmly on track to 2ºC We are not ready. nepalitimes.com/2026-central...
nepalitimes.com
Reporter’s Diary 27 August
Nepali Times photographer finds his camera is inadequate to capture the true scale of the tragedy
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Emily M. Bender @emilymbender.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
Would you like to be more informed about so-called "AI"? Got an icky feeling about it, but not quite sure why? Curious for more in-depth history, delivered with some sly humor? This movie is for you!
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Dr. Johnathan Flowers, Bisexual of the Blade (Alt-text or DIE) @shengokai.blacksky.app · 23/08/2026
In response, I'd say that institutional budgets are a reflection of institutional priorities. Institutional support is an academic freedom issue as it reflects the degree to which the institution is willing to make possible some kinds of inquiries through material support.
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Rob Scott @robscottanthro.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
They are effective except when they are not. Cofnas is a postdoctoral researcher. He is pre-tenure so now is an the time to say “no we are not granting the freedom to pursue a dream of Harvard chair of race science and eugenics” what is happening is part of deciding who gets it for what
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Rob Scott @robscottanthro.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
The threat to academic freedom comes from an admin under pressure from government, donors etc. It is not threatened by recognizing established pseudo-science.
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Rob Scott @robscottanthro.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
And the same when we review syllabi, give curriculum approval, 3-year renewal, tenure. These are bureaucratic processes that serve academic freedom they are the limits that are a necessary part of the entire idea. And in my experience we give very wide latitude.
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Rob Scott @robscottanthro.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
When I serve on a hiring committee I have a responsibility to ask is the research and teaching of the candidate compelling, worth pursuing, are the methods strong, and yes is the candidate pushing established pseudo-science. When I approve and my dept approves we are granting academic freedom.
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Rob Scott @robscottanthro.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
In practice, university admin evaluates what topics should be studied and that is inherent in the nature of a university. The question is how is that done? It is done best by qualified faculty and their instruments. So departments propose hiring with a focus. We compete within and between depts
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Rob Scott @robscottanthro.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
Or another way is to say academic freedom is earned. Peddling established pseudo-science does not earn it. And universities and academics have a special interest in ensuring that established pseudo-science does not cause harm.
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Rob Scott @robscottanthro.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
Other channels too: non-promotion, non-renewal, withholding curriculum approval, A broad interpretation of academic freedom is not a free pass to teach/conduct research on established pseudo-science -race-science, climate denialism, intelligent design. Gatekeeping is part of academic freedom
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John Jackson @jpj.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
This is a profound misunderstanding of academic freedom. Unlike free speech academic freedom is based on the judgment of experts that some ideas are worthless and should not be represented in the academy. This has been the case since the invention of the idea of academic freedom.
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Brian Beutler @brianbeutler.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
Democratic revival requires a bare majority willing to wield power aggressively. That's it. Moreover, Dems know the peril of NOT wielding power, and have more than two years to get everyone in line. If they win slim majorities and don't do it the failure's on them. www.offmessage.net/p/democrats-...
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Kevin M. Kruse @kevinmkruse.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
Fantastic essay.
Everyone who has written at any substantial length, whether prose or poetry, knows that the process of writing itself leads to previously unthought thoughts. Or to be more precise, writing crystallizes previously half-formulated or unformulated thoughts, gives them form, and extends chains of thoughts in new directions.
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Bill McKibben @billmckibben.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
Mamdani is succeeding in part by projecting joy Ossoff is succeeding in part by projecting steely ferocity We’re in a moment when attitude is nearly as powerful as ideology, because we all need courage. And these are two ways of summoning it
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Rob Scott @robscottanthro.bsky.social · 16/08/2026
Growing up I noticed this tactic, I called it the argument from trivial truth
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Tressie McMillan Cottom @tressiemcphd.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
Anyway, shout out to this poster bsky.app/profile/pota...
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Rob Scott @robscottanthro.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
This rocks. 3 pts to John put an absolute 11 for Athena.
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Colin Carlson @colincarlson.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
I wrote about a reason not to use generative AI in your writing that I haven't seen anyone talking about. Once I realized this, banning GenAI in our lab's writing became a no-brainer. Feel free to share, I think this is probably useful especially for trainees: www.carlsonlab.bio/thoughts/the...
carlsonlab.bio
The only reason you’ll ever need not to write with AI — The Carlson Lab
Over the last year, our lab has been developing a policy on AI use. To do this, we did three main things: We read a lot of academic publications and tech news. We set up an #ai channel on our la...
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Rob Scott @robscottanthro.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
This thread is a public service and I don’t want to live in Zuck’s dystopia
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Chris B-Eeeeek!-ler 👻 @cwbuecheler.com · 06/08/2026
I would like to see more companies admit this - being a public company no longer means running a successful, thriving business. It strictly means delivering growth to investors, every single quarter, who do not care at all about the product the company sells or the people who produce it.
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Rob Scott @robscottanthro.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
I love the verb. This is how PhDs are like vampires. And congratulations!!
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Zeke Hausfather @zekehausfather.com · 02/08/2026
I'm not sure folks have realized just how crazy the second half of 2026 and 2027 will be for global temperatures – on the back of a record-smashing El Niño event. Here is my latest estimate of where both years will end up compared to global temperatures since 1850.
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Rob Scott @robscottanthro.bsky.social · 26/07/2026
Porch, covered, larger, wraps around corner. Southern vibe. Contra deck which is uncovered and fits my Montana roots and may be in back. Also not a balcony and a porch is prob smaller.
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Michael Hobbes @michaelhobbes.bsky.social · 25/07/2026
"We may think companies are immoral, but that’s because we assume they are coldly dedicated to their bottom line, not making billion dollar decisions based on something someone sent them on Facebook."
dannykatch.substack.com
We used to be able to buy things in this country
Locking up toothpaste was a warning sign that our executive class was crazy
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Rob Scott @robscottanthro.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
This is a good site. Theory, critique, and maybe helpful in achieving less stuff that is better.
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Melody Schreiber @melodyschreiber.com · 18/07/2026
They kept distributing it until Thursday. So we've still 2 weeks of poss. new cases. "The shredded iceberg product was distributed June 29th thru July 16th in AL, AR, CT, FL, GA, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, MI, MO, MS, NC, NH, NJ, OH, OK, PA, SC, TN, TX, VA, and WI." www.taylorfarms.com/recall/
taylorfarms.com
Product Recall Information - Taylor Farms
Stay updated on Taylor Farms’ product recall information and learn about our commitment to food safety. Find FAQs, current statuses, and helpful resources.
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Brad Lander @bradlander.bsky.social · 18/07/2026
I’ve led chants on more picket lines than I can count … but never one where my daughter was one of the strike captains! #DadLander, indeed. (1/3)
Standing with Rosa at a union picket.
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phoenix @phoenix-rights.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
really thinking about this tweet as i’ve been struggling to breathe through nausea for the last 5 hours
climate change will manifest as a series of disasters viewed through phones with footage that gets closer and closer to where you live until you're the one filming it
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Rob Scott @robscottanthro.bsky.social · 18/07/2026
I think an act of resistance could be tokenmaxxing something subversive. Demonstrate this crap is not economical. But also I don’t want to spend the carbon.
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Rob Scott @robscottanthro.bsky.social · 18/07/2026
This is awful. Disturbing a univeristy would sell their soul and shortchange students and scholars like this. And none of those tasks are “administrative”, how can I say it is ever okay for my students to use it to draft content. Brainstorming? Sure let’s just kneecap creativity where it starts.
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Emily Atkin @emorwee.bsky.social · 18/07/2026
We are given only a limited number of truly perfect summer days in our time on Earth. One of the more insidious cruelties of fossil fuel greed is how it slowly strips those days from us, more and more throughout our lifetimes, perhaps without us even realizing what we have lost.
heated.world
Another stolen summer day
What are we still waiting to learn?
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Michael McDonald @electproject.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
Pump ‘n dump
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Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani @mayor.nyc.gov · 14/07/2026
This morning in Biddeford, Maine, a 26-year-old man said goodbye to his wife and daughter and left for work. Moments later he was dead, shot in the head by ICE agents, the second man ICE has killed in six days. ICE is killing our neighbors. ICE cannot be reformed. Abolish ICE.
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Ian Coldwater 🧊🚫 @lookitup.baby · 13/07/2026
ICE agents shouldn’t be executing people on the street even if they ARE the target of the warrant
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Rob Scott @robscottanthro.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
I was raised Catholic, chose not to be confirmed, believe is some kind of God, but have never found (or needed) a religion. But I told someone AI was “against my religion” a few days ago and it is but I just don’t have an organized one. The real law here makes me want one, so I can point to my creed
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Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg @theradr.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
So. I did it. Lotta people gonna be mad about this one. Show it some love?
lifeisasacredtext.com
A Jewish Case for AI work exemptions
or: why should CHICAGO POPE have all the fun
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Rob Scott @robscottanthro.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
Thank you for this. I am no Jewish but truly appreciate the wisdom.
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𝓡𝓾𝓫𝔂 𝓜𝓪𝓮 𝓖𝓪𝓵𝓵𝓪𝓰𝓱𝓮𝓻 (𝓼𝓱𝓮/𝓱𝓮𝓻) @rubymae326.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
This is probably the most insightful read I've ever appreciated on the topic of #UBI that didn't require a college degree to understand. #UniveralBasicIncome is the way to go, the math proves it, and Scott's explained it well for us.
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