sampanzer.bsky.social @sampanzer.bsky.social · 18hThat's true! Looking at the other books in the list I recommended, I guess I like that in a book. 000
sampanzer.bsky.social @sampanzer.bsky.social · 13/10/2026Whatever the answer is, it cannot possibly be treating most MAGA voters with contempt. As cathartic as it may seem. 010
sampanzer.bsky.social @sampanzer.bsky.social · 05/10/2026A Deadly Education, by Naomi Novik The Midnight Circus, by Erin Morgenstern Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn (series), by Tad Williams Poranesi, by Susanna Clarke The Goblin Emperor, by Katherine Addison The Lies of Locke Lamora, by Scott Lynch The Tainted Cup, Robert Jackson Bennett 130
sampanzer.bsky.social @sampanzer.bsky.social · 29/09/2026That RV/LV split is quite something. It's only D+8 on RV. 010
sampanzer.bsky.social @sampanzer.bsky.social · 28/09/2026I think one of the things people are reacting to is that we see people imitate said CEO behavior. E.g. a tech executive trying to be more like Steve Jobs by imitating his behavior towards employees. 051
sampanzer.bsky.social @sampanzer.bsky.social · 17/09/2026Mythical power of moderation? The best outperformers in the House of both parties are perceived moderates in purple or purple-ish districts. Joe Manchin was the best Democratic outperformer for multiple Senate cycles and famously a moderate. "Mythical" is too dismissive! 010
sampanzer.bsky.social @sampanzer.bsky.social · 17/09/2026For what it's worth, convincing the American electorate of that is literally the job of Democratic candidates. Not that all of them see it that way... 030
sampanzer.bsky.social @sampanzer.bsky.social · 16/09/2026The real work of democracy is building popular support and coalitions. And changing people's minds, or helping them to make up their mind (which most Americans haven't about surprisingly many things). 030
sampanzer.bsky.social @sampanzer.bsky.social · 16/09/2026You support candidates who support the causes you like. Win over a majority of the party. 130
sampanzer.bsky.social @sampanzer.bsky.social · 14/09/2026Almost like arguments on the internet and building a durable political coalition to make important and lasting changes are two different skill sets! 010
sampanzer.bsky.social @sampanzer.bsky.social · 14/09/2026Silver Bulletin has Graham Nordone up a hair over 5 points in South Carolina and the last (nonpartisan!) poll according to FiftyPlusOne was R+2. If the bottom falls out, even Mississippi is surprisingly close. 000
sampanzer.bsky.social @sampanzer.bsky.social · 11/09/2026The doctors I have spoken to are less concerned about AI than about mid-level providers' ever-expanding scope, which they see as worsening patient care. It'll vary by specialty, though. The cost-cutting that drives both trends is the same. 171
sampanzer.bsky.social @sampanzer.bsky.social · 11/09/2026Republican voters in Kentucky certainly did treat recent governor's races differently from the Senate. Louisiana too, until Bel Edwards was term-limited out. Also in Georgia, but the other way around. 000
sampanzer.bsky.social @sampanzer.bsky.social · 09/09/2026He's lucky and/or strategic that this year is shaping up to be so Dem-friendly. In an R+2 year like 2024 he'd have little chance in Michigan. 000
sampanzer.bsky.social @sampanzer.bsky.social · 09/09/2026If I remember a lecture from over a decade ago correctly, there are several time and space complexity classes that we care about. E.g. PSPACE contains NP. And we don't know much about the complexity space space. It's fun! Also, if P = NP then randomness can't improve time complexity of an algorithm. 010
sampanzer.bsky.social @sampanzer.bsky.social · 02/09/2026Golden ran around 9 points ahead of Harris in 2024. He was one of the best outperformers in the House. Do I detest some of his votes, yes, but very few other Dems would have held the seat in 2024. For that matter, Cuellar and MGP also ran 5-8 points ahead. Not that it matters much in a wave year.. 000
sampanzer.bsky.social @sampanzer.bsky.social · 13/08/2026So much of that thought seems to stem from disbelief that Bernie wasn't as popular as some people wanted him to be ("he'd have won the nomination in 2016/2020 if not for the DNC"). I've seen it directly in very smart and thoughtful people too! 000
sampanzer.bsky.social @sampanzer.bsky.social · 14/07/2026What do you propose is a better way to take back power from big tech? 000
sampanzer.bsky.social @sampanzer.bsky.social · 09/07/2026...and he's gone: www.nytimes.com/live/2026/07...nytimes.comLive Updates: Platner Suspends Senate Bid in Maine After Rape Accusation 000
sampanzer.bsky.social @sampanzer.bsky.social · 23/06/2026Means testing introduces the highest barriers between people who need benefits most and those benefits. It would inevitably end up disenfranchising needy citizens. Next idea, please! 020
sampanzer.bsky.social @sampanzer.bsky.social · 21/06/2026That could well be. I was responding to population figures from upthread that show a gain of 250K New Yorkers 000
sampanzer.bsky.social @sampanzer.bsky.social · 20/06/2026250,000 more people live in NYC now than before COVID hit? That's one Durham, NC that has moved to NYC! 220
sampanzer.bsky.social @sampanzer.bsky.social · 16/06/2026Here's the link to the underlying Reuters report: www.reuters.com/investigatio...reuters.comWhy Tesla’s AI trainers don’t trust its self-driving tech – or its safety statsA Reuters examination found the automaker isn’t close to safely delivering self-driving vehicles at scale – a central promise underpinning Tesla's $1.6 trillion stock-market value. 010
sampanzer.bsky.social @sampanzer.bsky.social · 27/05/2026I am reminded of the psychology class I took in college simply titled Learning. The professor tricked psych majors into intuitively graphing differential equations. It was a great and well-received class! 000
sampanzer.bsky.social @sampanzer.bsky.social · 25/05/2026You may also like @what-eats-owls.bsky.social's Little Thieves trilogy. Both have a particular sense of humor that should work for you if you liked the Red Rising books 010
sampanzer.bsky.social @sampanzer.bsky.social · 25/05/2026Naomi Novik's Scholomance Trilogy is excellent! It's fantasy rather than sci-fi. It was just so much fun to read that at least one person I know consumed the first book in a single sitting. Overnight. 120
Reposted by @sampanzer.bsky.socialMark Joseph Stern @mjsdc.bsky.social · 21/05/2026One reason I hate death penalty cases is that capital punishment is incredibly stupid and irrational. It's cruel, expensive, and serves no deterrent effect. It's rarely imposed, except against a tiny minority of unlucky defendants—and in those cases, racism almost always plays a role. Just end it. 333349684
sampanzer.bsky.social @sampanzer.bsky.social · 18/05/2026Some or all of the articles may still be available through sites like the Internet archive. Someone put together an index of FiveThirtyEight work here: fivethirtyeightindex.comfivethirtyeightindex.comfivethirtyeightindex.comAn index of every fivethirtyeight.com article preserved by the Internet Archive. 010
sampanzer.bsky.social @sampanzer.bsky.social · 08/05/2026It's of interest, sure. That said, would you really not vote to defeat someone who has demonstrably caused this country so much damage? I think the decision feels more real when you're not at a distance. If Platner was in the Senate instead of, say, Ernst, would Hegseth be Secretary of Defense? 100
sampanzer.bsky.social @sampanzer.bsky.social · 08/05/2026That's a fair point! Though I wouldn't get a tattoo so I can't really imagine the thought process of those who do. What I don't get is how many people insist on how obvious and well known the symbol is. There's plenty to dislike about Platner - why not focus on what is well known? 100
sampanzer.bsky.social @sampanzer.bsky.social · 08/05/2026I think people here mistake what they know for common knowledge. It's called "the curse of knowledge": en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curse_o... Though you probably knew that already!en.wikipedia.orgCurse of knowledge - Wikipedia 100
sampanzer.bsky.social @sampanzer.bsky.social · 08/05/2026I'm making a much stronger statement: "I wouldn't have recognized the tattoo, and almost nobody else would have either." Platner has many issues. His compliments for a white supremacist podcast disqualify him for many. But I have the luxury of not needing to choose between him and Collins. 510
sampanzer.bsky.social @sampanzer.bsky.social · 08/05/2026"I have a confession: I would not have recognized the skull that the Democratic Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner had tattooed on his chest as a Nazi symbol. " You, me, and nearly everyone else. Amazing how many have convinced themselves otherwise. 7111
sampanzer.bsky.social @sampanzer.bsky.social · 07/05/2026I think hard, aged cheeses like cheddar have far less lactose than soft cheeses like mozzarella especially when aged longer. Parmesan and gruyere might be options for you! One random source for this: www.gardnerswisconsincheese.com/blogs/articl...gardnerswisconsincheese.comLow Lactose Cheese: Best Options for Sensitive StomachsDiscover low lactose cheeses like aged cheddar, Gouda, and Parmesan, and learn how to enjoy Wisconsin cheese without upsetting your stomach. 020
sampanzer.bsky.social @sampanzer.bsky.social · 01/05/2026One large subset of these people just can't accept that Bernie wasn't as popular with the broader public as they felt he should be. Therefore his nomination loss must be due to some powerful force, i.e. the DNC, in their minds 011
sampanzer.bsky.social @sampanzer.bsky.social · 29/04/2026I have no idea, unfortunately, other than it's not DRM-free. If I add "DRM-free" to the search filters the ebook doesn't show up in results. 000
sampanzer.bsky.social @sampanzer.bsky.social · 29/04/2026The ebook is also for sale for $1.99 on Google's Play Books and bookshop.org! Here's the latter link: bookshop.org/p/books/unde...bookshop.orgBookshop.org: Buy books online. Support local bookstores.A better way to buy books online. Every purchase financially supports local independent bookstores. 141
sampanzer.bsky.social @sampanzer.bsky.social · 28/04/2026Could be part of a "No kings and no corruption" agenda in 2029. 0120
sampanzer.bsky.social @sampanzer.bsky.social · 17/04/2026My favorite part of living in a political battlefield state is responding to volunteers/staffers' highly misleading text messages and challenging their statements. Somehow I'm on a push poll list for obviously biased GOP-aligned people. Dunno what I did to deserve that but at least it's funny 110
sampanzer.bsky.social @sampanzer.bsky.social · 17/04/2026This is indeed a problem, but a logical followup question to the headline (and not asked by the article) is what Virginia Democrats are doing to respond to this advertising. It's literally their job. 100
sampanzer.bsky.social @sampanzer.bsky.social · 14/04/2026It's also a result of timid Democratic party leadership publicly encouraging the current governor to run. Most high-quality potential candidates opted not to challenge a then-popular sitting governor. And so only problematic and/or unknown/uninteresting candidates put themselves out there. 010
sampanzer.bsky.social @sampanzer.bsky.social · 13/04/2026Not communicating this effectively to voters is a failure of the Democratic party, no? (Though it will ~always be possible to find someone for a photo-op like that one) 110
sampanzer.bsky.social @sampanzer.bsky.social · 13/04/2026This statement is Bibi erasure. Though perhaps he isn't reading the Tanakh either 100
sampanzer.bsky.social @sampanzer.bsky.social · 11/04/2026Amazingly, the party isn't just letting this one slide: www.politico.com/news/2026/04...politico.comJeffries, Pelosi and other Democrats call on Eric Swalwell to end governor campaignThe former speaker said the sexual assault allegations “must be appropriately investigated with full transparency and accountability.” 000
sampanzer.bsky.social @sampanzer.bsky.social · 10/04/2026I think it's just code for "I don't like the new housing or its residents" with a superficially acceptable explanation appended. 0310
sampanzer.bsky.social @sampanzer.bsky.social · 08/04/2026Sadly this has not been the case in NC. Hopefully Earls will retain her seat by more than 700 votes 000
sampanzer.bsky.social @sampanzer.bsky.social · 08/04/2026Taylor is up 3 across rural counties according to the benchmark section. It's wild 040
sampanzer.bsky.social @sampanzer.bsky.social · 08/04/2026The NY Times just called the race for Taylor! 0100
sampanzer.bsky.social @sampanzer.bsky.social · 08/04/2026The NY Times estimate is now Taylor+17 (currently Taylor+15 in votes reported so far). 020
