Sign in

Silly Badger

@sillybadger.org
84 followers 151 following 50 posts

Since I am actually using this more now, thought I'd add a real name: Hey I am Rob Ramos, microbial ecologist and general nerd.

PostsRepliesMedia
Silly Badger @sillybadger.org · 17/09/2026
That's actually why that piece stuck out to me. The language is maximalist in a way that I also don't love. But it also just seems crazy to me to wait until something bad happens to put in preventative measures. The "singularity" is a term people love overusing, but recursive self improvement is bad
010
Silly Badger @sillybadger.org · 17/09/2026
I respect Bryan's opinions alot, so I feel like responding. That these tools are fallible isn't the point. They're capable of unexpected behavior, at inhuman speed. Does this blase attitude extend to efforts at gaurdrails like bans on recursive self improvement? open.substack.com/pub/erikhoel...
theintrinsicperspective.com
Humanity’s Flight 93 Moment
It’s time to ban smart machines making smarter machines
100
Reposted by Silly Badger
Mike Spangenberg @mikespangenberg.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
By a 5-4 vote, SCOTUS agrees that the Constitution is constitutional
310730
Reposted by Silly Badger
The Associated Press @apnews.com · 28/05/2026
At least 16 students died in an overnight fire that started in the dormitories of a girls’ boarding school in Kenya, a government official said, in the latest such incident to rock the East African nation.
34714
Silly Badger @sillybadger.org · 07/04/2026
So LTER folks... Do any of you know what this means for the network going forward? www.nsf.gov/funding/oppo...
nsf.gov
Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER)
000
Silly Badger @sillybadger.org · 09/03/2026
Happy to share that I'm starting a new position as Computation Biologist in the Ecology and Evolution department at @stonybrooku.bsky.social, starting March 18th! Thanks to all my colleagues at @cu-esiil.bsky.social for a wonderful two years. Off to new adventures!
020
Silly Badger @sillybadger.org · 08/03/2026
Happy to report that I have a new paper out in PLOS Biology, journals.plos.org/plosbiology/.... Some very interesting findings on plant-fungal mutualistic feedbacks from my PhD work I am excited to finally get to share.
journals.plos.org
Host plant phylogeny predicts arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal communities, but plant life history and fungal genetic change predict feedback
Symbiotic interactions strongly influence host phenotypes, yet their benefits vary with host phylogeny and life history. This study shows that plant phylogenetic structure predicts arbuscular mycorrhi...
063
Reposted by Silly Badger
H.M. Stiller @hmstiller.bsky.social · 28/02/2026
Rationale for the war: We angy.
001
Reposted by Silly Badger
The Bulwark @thebulwark.com · 28/02/2026
@markhertling.bsky.social: "There is no rational legal basis for this strike.”
671521355
Silly Badger @sillybadger.org · 01/03/2026
Colorado, you've been fantastic. Time for new adventures though. Hope to come back and visit soon.
000
Reposted by Silly Badger
PLOS Biology @plosbiology.org · 26/02/2026
Study by @sillybadger.org &co shows that #plant phylogenetic structure predicts #arbuscular #mycorrhizal #fungal #AMF composition but not #mutualistic benefits; life history influences fungal genetic variation & feedback strength, informing restoration strategies @plosbiology.org 🧪 plos.io/40woHsu
The images show asexually produced spores of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungal species Entrophospora infrequens (top) and Funneliformis mosseae (bottom). Image credit: Joe Morton (INVAM).
061
Silly Badger @sillybadger.org · 01/02/2026
Oh ffs, no one in that article was saying it was good. Are older people ever gonna stop taking glee in putting down young people. They're figuring their stuff out, and I'm sure you were all paragons of financial responsibility when you were young and balancing raising young kids. Seesh
630
Reposted by Silly Badger
WeRateDogs @weratedogs.com · 16/12/2025
This is Rose. She's paralyzed in both her back legs from being hit by a car as a stray. But when she sees her wheelchair harness come out, she knows it's time to walk and roll. 14/10 (IG: twopawrose)
368109231258
Reposted by Silly Badger
Liz Koziol @lizkoziol.bsky.social · 25/11/2025
Kansas ranchers, landowners, and others with an active working knowledge of grasslands, the Kansas Department of Ag wants your input on the importance of the Kansas grasslands. I hope my biodiversity and restoration folks chime in! Find the link here: www.agriculture.ks.gov/about-us/kan...
agriculture.ks.gov
042
Silly Badger @sillybadger.org · 12/11/2025
Wait valve is releasing a new headset, controller, and steam machine? They CAN count to three!
010
Reposted by Silly Badger
Whitney Trettien @whitneytrettien.bsky.social · 12/11/2025
Holy shit, just learned about the typewriter art of Montserrat Alberich Escardívol, a Catalan typist. Using an extra wide typewriter and 180 color ribbons, she built up elaborate images from simple characters like 'm' and '.' and ';'. Here is her typewritten painting of the Cathedral of Barcelona.
Full-color image of the Cathedral of Barcelona, composed on a typewriter by Montserrat Alberich Escardívol. Image from WikiMedia.
552972966
Silly Badger @sillybadger.org · 11/11/2025
I admit, I don't have the hard numbers. Just anecdotally, I have always had a hard time seeing that as the whole problem. I don't see into the chancellor/presidents office, but at the department level, very little admin gets funded. Faculty seem to need to do more with less support every year.
010
Silly Badger @sillybadger.org · 11/11/2025
I've never been able to square this circle. I've been working in academia for a while, and colleges are not rolling in cash. Isn't tuition high because we pulled back on direct govt funding of colleges as we pushed loans. The cost of the institutions didn't change, just how we fund them.
110
Reposted by Silly Badger
Kara Swisher @karaswisher.bsky.social · 25/10/2025
“My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings; Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!" Nothing beside remains. Round the decay Of that colossal Wreck, boundless and bare The lone and level sands stretch far away.
1001651347
Silly Badger @sillybadger.org · 20/10/2025
I thought history was suppose to rhyme, not literally repeat in 100 year cycles. Though to be fair anyone think were actually gonna make it to a Tuesday in 2029? www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0Tp....
youtube.com
The State of the AI Industry is Freaking Me Out
YouTube video by Hank Green
010
Silly Badger @sillybadger.org · 03/10/2025
This is how the movie begins. www.colorado.edu/today/2025/1...
colorado.edu
Researchers wake up microbes trapped in permafrost for thousands of years
Across the Arctic, bacteria and other microorganisms have become trapped underground in frozen soil and ice. A new study finds that these ancient microbes may
010
Silly Badger @sillybadger.org · 03/10/2025
There are people who change over time in a way you didn't expect, but you still have a lot of respect who they were to you in the past. It can make your impression of them very complicated, but sometimes those people do things like this. Then it becomes really clear to see, "oh they just sold out".
000
Reposted by Silly Badger
Artologica aka Michele Banks @artologica.net · 26/09/2025
Morning walk
Wheat paste poster that says the all the world is dying and the new world struggles to be born now is the time of monsters. There's a picture of Elmo
70124233227
Reposted by Silly Badger
DR℮W 🪿🏳️‍⚧️ @giantmolecular.cloud · 26/09/2025
It seems the GRFP solicitation is FINALLY released (like 5 minutes ago)! Due dates have also been pushed back, thankfully! 🧪 🔭 www.nsf.gov/funding/oppo...
nsf.gov
NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP)
23536
Reposted by Silly Badger
H.M. Stiller @hmstiller.bsky.social · 18/09/2025
It didn't end with Colbert, and it likely won't end with Kimmel. www.nytimes.com/2025/09/18/o...
001
Reposted by Silly Badger
Quinn Norton @quinn.yoyodyne-it.eu · 08/08/2025
This one was really tough and kind of emotional to write.
042
Reposted by Silly Badger
Kai Kupferschmidt @kakape.bsky.social · 18/09/2025
“ABC and CBS are making a serious miscalculation. Their servility to Trump will not earn them peace, only greater pressure.” That’s the German professional association of journalists, @djv.de, calling on major US media to support their journalists instead of preemptively silencing them.
djv.de
Nicht vor MAGA-Kult einknicken
Der Deutsche Journalisten-Verband ruft die Verantwortlichen der großen US-Medien dazu auf, ihren Journalistinnen und Journalisten den Rücken zu stärken, statt…
6841061357
Reposted by Silly Badger
H.M. Stiller @hmstiller.bsky.social · 16/09/2025
Your move, BritBox.
041
Reposted by Silly Badger
ESIIL @cu-esiil.bsky.social · 02/09/2025
We are currently accepting applications for our 3rd cohort of Working Groups! Visit our website to learn more: esiil.org/working-groups
034
Reposted by Silly Badger
ESIIL @cu-esiil.bsky.social · 02/09/2025
We are currently accepting Postdoc applications! Visit our website to learn more and apply by Sept. 15th, 2025 for full consideration: esiil.org/careers jobs.colorado.edu/jobs/JobDeta...
046
Reposted by Silly Badger
George Takei @georgetakei.bsky.social · 04/09/2025
Next they'll be rewriting textbooks to say Japanese American internment camps were delightful summer resorts.
1373242827805
Reposted by Silly Badger
Camille Delavaux @camilledelavaux.bsky.social · 09/08/2025
Off to @ecologicalsociety.bsky.social in Baltimore, Maryland! Join me at my talk on Wednesday afternoon to see what we have learned about drivers of plant diversification on islands worldwide!
events.rdmobile.com
COS 116 - COS - Biodiversity 1 - Details
182
Reposted by Silly Badger
CIRES @cires.colorado.edu · 07/08/2025
CIRES is excited to welcome our new Director of Communications, Steve Lommele! 📝 Lommele comes to the institute with decades of experience in strategic communications in science, technology, and policy. 📰 Read more: cires.colorado.edu/news/cires-welcomes-steve-lommele-director-communications
A person with short hair smiles for a professional photo in front of a book case. At the bottom, there is a gray box with the CIRES logo and text: Welcome Steve Lommele! CIRES Communications Director. At the top right, there is the quote: "How do we take the groundbreaking research at CIRES and connect it to the everyday decisions people make? That's the challenge I'm most excited about."
051
Reposted by Silly Badger
Mark Copelovitch @mcopelov.bsky.social · 05/08/2025
The entire business model of R1 public universities rests on 4 revenue sources: 1. Federal grants 2. Private gifts/endowments 3. Tuition (esp. from foreign students) 4. State $ For decades, 📈 in 1-3 offset a secular 📉 in 4. Now, 1 & 3 are being decimated & 4 ain't coming back. The math is clear.
20644332
Reposted by Silly Badger
George Pearkes @peark.es · 06/08/2025
We’ve discovered a literal miracle with almost unlimited potential and it’s being scrapped for *no reason whatsoever*. This isn’t even nihilism, it’s outright worship of death and human suffering.
47103123292
Reposted by Silly Badger
H.M. Stiller @hmstiller.bsky.social · 02/08/2025
Guys, looking at the foreign titles for the movie AIRPLANE! (1980) is a voyage of discovery.
041
Reposted by Silly Badger
H.M. Stiller @hmstiller.bsky.social · 01/08/2025
I love this so much.
022
Reposted by Silly Badger
H.M. Stiller @hmstiller.bsky.social · 31/07/2025
the fact that I could immediately find at least half a dozen op-ed columns on the Sydney Sweeney kerfuffle and none about this... www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...
nbcnews.com
Three Venezuelan men who the Trump administration sent to a notorious prison in El Salvador said they experienced physical and psychological torture.
The men said there were many moments of anguish and terror and that they feared for their lives.
021
Reposted by Silly Badger
Adrian Stier @adrianstier.bsky.social · 29/07/2025
After marine heatwaves, removing dead coral skeletons cuts macroalgae in half and boosts coral recruitment 5-fold. A novel, field-tested strategy to promote reef resilience. Bravo, Kai Kopecky! 🧠📸🪸 Open access @ESA_org doi.org/10.1002/eap....
0133
Reposted by Silly Badger
H.M. Stiller @hmstiller.bsky.social · 31/07/2025
No, *your* parents have memorialized their dead cat on a screen-printed pillow to keep the live one company.
082
Reposted by Silly Badger
Liz Koziol @lizkoziol.bsky.social · 17/07/2025
When your dedicated DM has a 3D printer and zero chill, high-end minis magically appear. Meet: 💎Rock (the rock barbarian) 🐝 A drow beekeeper/ crossbow sniper 🍄 Myc the spore druid 🕵️‍♂️ Mildew (two gnome rogues in a trench coat) 🐺 A nasty Wild Shape wolf #DnD #minis #3dprinting
Five DnD miniatures lined up on a players map.
0161
Reposted by Silly Badger
H.M. Stiller @hmstiller.bsky.social · 16/07/2025
Can you tell me how impeachment hearings happen on Sesame Street?
021
Silly Badger @sillybadger.org · 09/07/2025
Those things have been debunked for decades, but still people want them to actually work so bad.
020
Reposted by Silly Badger
H.M. Stiller @hmstiller.bsky.social · 08/07/2025
Stop throwing things at each other, kids! I WILL TURN THIS SOLAR SYSTEM AROUND! www.newscientist.com/article/2487...
newscientist.com
Did something just hit Saturn? Astronomers are racing to find out
Around seven asteroids or comets are thought to hit Saturn every year, but we have never spotted one in the act. Now, it seems one astronomer may have caught the moment of impact and the hunt is on fo...
021
Reposted by Silly Badger
Liz Koziol @lizkoziol.bsky.social · 08/07/2025
Myles stands next to an absolutely giant compass plant (Silphium lacinatum). Myles is 6'3 for reference! This plot is part of a grassland restoration experiment in its 8th year and it included a native AM fungal addition. #nativeplants 🌎🧪🦠🍄🌱🌾
Grad student Myles who is 6'3, standing next to an absolutely giant 10 foot tall compass plant (Silphium lacinatum)
0312
Reposted by Silly Badger
Sarah Flynn @ecosarahflynn.bsky.social · 07/07/2025
Curious about non-perennial stream biogeochemistry, BACI experiments, or what I’m working on next? After lots of coffee and an intense battle with Weebly, I made a website!: ecosarahflynn.weebly.com #FreshwaterScience #PhDLife #AcademicSky
ecosarahflynn.weebly.com
Sarah Megan Flynn, PhD Candidate University of Kansas Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Kansas Geological Survey
I'm a Ph.D. Candidate in the Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology at the University of Kansas and a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow. My research focuses on aquatic...
084
Silly Badger @sillybadger.org · 25/06/2025
Just heard "No Handlebars" for the first time in a while. At time goes on that song keeps hitting different. youtu.be/HLUX0y4EptA?...
youtu.be
Flobots - Handlebars (Official Video)
YouTube video by FlobotsVEVO
010
Silly Badger @sillybadger.org · 25/06/2025
It was certainly a choice.
010
Reposted by Silly Badger
Katie Mack @astrokatie.com · 19/06/2025
Chatbots — LLMs — do not know facts and are not designed to be able to accurately answer factual questions. They are designed to find and mimic patterns of words, probabilistically. When they’re “right” it’s because correct things are often written down, so those patterns are frequent. That’s all.
6253660311253