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Sharon Machlis

@smachlis.bsky.social
3K followers 355 following 1.9K posts

Author of Practical R for Mass Communication & Journalism ❤️ #RStats, writing & walkable/bikeable cities Having fun with GenAI Retired tech journalist Also #SmartHome #HamRadio #VibrantAging #Running #Photography #Crochet #ASL machlis.com

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Sharon Machlis @smachlis.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
I kind of like "simulated intelligence" (that's what I initially thought "SI" stood for). Or "imitation intelligence", which I first encountered from a @simonwillison.net talk in 2024 simonwillison.net/2024/Jul/14/... But the little 4B LLM running on my PC, while impressive, isn't super intelligent
simonwillison.net
Imitation Intelligence, my keynote for PyCon US 2024
I gave an invited keynote at PyCon US 2024 in Pittsburgh this year. My goal was to say some interesting things about AI—specifically about Large Language Models—both to help catch …
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Sharon Machlis @smachlis.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
The NYT authored a research paper about the chatbot tool - "Epstein Files Engine: Agentic Search for Investigative Journalism" arxiv.org/html/2609.30... #ddj
arxiv.org
Epstein Files Engine: Agentic Search for Investigative Journalism
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Sharon Machlis @smachlis.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
@duyknguyen.bsky.social tells IRE #AccessFest26 that the NY Times built a chatbot for the massive Epstein files data dump using the open-source LibreChat chatbot project. Reporters are trained to use the bot's answer as a *starting point*, not a final answer! www.librechat.ai #ddj @ire.org
librechat.ai
LibreChat - The Open-Source AI Platform
LibreChat brings together all your AI conversations in one unified, customizable interface.
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Reposted by Sharon Machlis
Sharon Machlis @smachlis.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
"Frisket is an open-source AI spreadsheet for reporting! for research! for investigations! You can drop in documents, audio, video, emails, spreadsheets, etc. Ask questions, get structured data back." - Columbia Univ data journalism prof @dangerscarf.bsky.social frisket.dev
frisket.dev
frisket — an open-source AI spreadsheet
frisket: an open-source AI spreadsheet for reporting and research. Drop in documents, audio, video, ask questions, get results.
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Sharon Machlis @smachlis.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
My state university didn't have a football team. But we did have co-ed dorm "tag football" (you tagged someone and they were out, no flag, no tackling) and quarterbacks had to be women. Dorms competed against each other. It was so much fun!
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Sharon Machlis @smachlis.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
Your privacy is being violated by Meta’s Muse AI agent *even if you don’t use it*, if you email or message with someone who uses it.
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Sharon Machlis @smachlis.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
Meta’s Muse “record[s] details of how you and your contacts met, your shared interests, your disputes, and ‘tensions and alliances‘ within your social group. “Even people who don’t use Muse are subject to this mapping process by other people’s Muse agents.”
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Sharon Machlis @smachlis.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
My Amazon About You page includes “Has a phone that is 3 inches wide.” Which seems like a somewhat random thing to care about?
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Sharon Machlis @smachlis.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
We have an Emoluments clause in the US Constitution, the highest law of the land. It is being regularly flouted. If laws are not enforced, what is the point of having them? Although separately, yes, the US Supreme Court needs a code of ethics #USpoli
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Sharon Machlis @smachlis.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
New unofficial Google Gemma 4B LLM for better speech to text? “This is not an officially supported Google product.” “[D]esigned to post-process, correct, and optimize automatic speech recognition (ASR) and speaker diarization outputs.” huggingface.co/google/Diari...
huggingface.co
google/DiarizationLM-Gemma-4-E4B-v1 · Hugging Face
We’re on a journey to advance and democratize artificial intelligence through open source and open science.
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Sharon Machlis @smachlis.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
Pick six counts 😃 #Giants #nyg #NYGiants #NFL
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Sharon Machlis @smachlis.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
More touchdowns than turnovers would be nice #Giants #nyg #NYGiants #NFL
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Sharon Machlis @smachlis.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
He did! 💕 and then got intercepted later.😔 #NFL
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Sharon Machlis @smachlis.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
Went for 2 🤡 sigh #NFL
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Sharon Machlis @smachlis.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
Especially when you have a good kicker and a quarterback who, um, hasn't exactly shown he can get the ball in the end zone #NFL
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Sharon Machlis @smachlis.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
WHY are the Giants going for 2 with an offense that can't get the ball into the end zone??? #NYG #Giants #NFL #NYGiants
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Sharon Machlis @smachlis.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
Losing to their #1 pitcher on the road, I can live with that. BUT WHAT WAS WELLS THINKING
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Sharon Machlis @smachlis.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Weekly number of Bluesky posts with the #RStats hashtag (case insensitive) Sept. 2024 - Oct 2, 2026, excluding the CRAN Package Updates bot. Weeks run Sat–Fri. This past week: 189 posts Coded with {bskyr} and {ggplot2} [Posted via cron job. Tx for ur patience if something went awry] #RStatsStats
Bar chart of weekly #RStats posts (Sat–Fri). The week of Sep 26–Oct 2, 2026 had 189 posts, and the week before had 189.
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Sharon Machlis @smachlis.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
I appealed, the label seems to be off now
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Sharon Machlis @smachlis.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Bluesky labelled my National Weather Service bot account as spam. That's a bummer.
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Reposted by Sharon Machlis
Investigative Reporters & Editors @ire.org · 02/10/2026
🆓 THIS SESSION IS FREE. Learn to find immigration enforcement data and records. Join our #AccessFest26 session October 8, Thursday at 12:30pm ET | 11:30am CT | 9:30am PT 🗓️Save the date: Oct 8-10 👾100% virtual Pro: $76 | Students: $26 Register: www.ire.org/accessfest-2026-registr…
AccessFest 2026 session graphic with headshots of the four speakers. Text reads: "Learn where to find data and records on immigration enforcement actions, and how to push for access when you're denied." Speakers: Jim Daley, South Side Weekly; Eileen Grench Stohrer, Documented; José Olivares, The Guardian; Pratheek Rebala, ProPublica. Footer: "Thu, October 8, 12:30pm ET | 11:30am CT | 9:30am PT. Accessing records and data to report on immigration enforcement actions."AccessFest 2026 promo graphic on a dark gray background. Text reads: "$76 professionals, $26 students. Top-tier training, no packing required. Virtual by design." A purple "Register now" button sits below. Footer: "Oct 8-10, 2026. Sessions all day. Check the schedule — not all sessions are recorded."
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Sharon Machlis @smachlis.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Aside: Trillium are big around here! www.wbur.org/news/2017/05...
wbur.org
‘Trillium Week’ At Framingham's Garden In The Woods Signals The Arrival Of Spring
With 21 species of the flowering plant, Garden in the Woods boasts "the most extensive collection in New England, including three that are native to New England."
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Sharon Machlis @smachlis.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Ha I think people at work were getting tired of me saying "We should save this as a parquet file!" And I'm sure I don't know all the cool things the format can do
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Sharon Machlis @smachlis.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
“My Mom and Dr. DeepSeek” - Online News Association award winner by Viola Zhou @violazhou.bsky.social at @restofworld.org restofworld.org/2025/ai-chat...
restofworld.org
My mom and Dr. DeepSeek
In China and around the world, the sick and lonely turn to AI.
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Sharon Machlis @smachlis.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Wow, thanks for sharing. I'd probably fail spectacularly, because on that fascinating question about novels, my honest answer is: I don't think I'm informed enough to have a worthwhile opinion. (But I'd sure be interested to hear from people who have actually studied creativity!)
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Sharon Machlis @smachlis.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Bose is making "throwback" noise-cancelling wired earbuds - no charging, no Bluetooth, just plug in. Annouced Monday, available to pre-order. Pre-orders are already sold out! Apparently I'm not the only one who liked wired headphones. www.bose.com/pressroom/bo... www.bose.com/p/earbuds/bo...
bose.com
Bose Unveils New Noise Cancelling Wired Earbuds
Discover the all-new Bose Noise Cancelling Wired Earbuds. Enjoy premium sound, proprietary QuietControl, and plug-and-play USB-C simplicity. Learn more!
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Reposted by Sharon Machlis
Sarah Langs @slangsonsports.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Most career scoreless postseason outings with 10+ strikeouts: Justin Verlander: 3 Cam Schlittler: 2 Sandy Koufax: 2 Kevin Brown: 2 Randy Johnson: 2 Cliff Lee: 2
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Sharon Machlis @smachlis.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Cool 2022 and 2024 US voter turnout dashboard from @redistdatahub.bsky.social redistrictingdatahub.org/resources/vo... #USPoli
Screenshot of the dashboard featuring a choropleth map of the US, number of registered and voted, turnout percent, and filters including state, year, gender, age, party, and race/ethnicity
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Sharon Machlis @smachlis.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Any poll that doesn't weight for religion risks being terribly wrong, but few US polls ask about religion. The difference between white evangelicals (GOP 82% according to '24 exit polls) and white no religion (GOP 28%) is *massive*. Much more than age, gender, or education.
nbcnews.com
National Exit Polls: Election 2024 Results
Follow exit polls from the 2024 general election. Explore key insights, voter demographics and trends that may shape the outcomes of key 2024 election races.
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Sharon Machlis @smachlis.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
We're in the 3rd day of a #Noreaster - talk about weather that makes you want to take a nap! - but my weather station doesn't have data for the storm rain total. Wind snapped the old pole the weather station was attached to and all the water spilled out. (Happily, the station still works) #MaWX
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Sharon Machlis @smachlis.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
I haven't tried it yet either, but I have attended some sessions he's taught at various daya journalism conferences and he definitely understands the needs of data journalists! Looking forward to trying it out on some public meeting files
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Sharon Machlis @smachlis.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Watchable and still relevant after Halloween. I don't feel like that's asking for much. #NYGiants #NFL [Note to people who follow me for things like R, data, and/or AI - and thank you!! - I tag my footballl rants #NFL if you don't care about American football and want to mute the tag]
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Sharon Machlis @smachlis.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
"Imagine the following: "Excel with (actually good) AI integration "OpenRefine with magic powers "Pinpoint without being tied to Google" - @dangerscarf.bsky.social
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Sharon Machlis @smachlis.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
"Frisket is an open-source AI spreadsheet for reporting! for research! for investigations! You can drop in documents, audio, video, emails, spreadsheets, etc. Ask questions, get structured data back." - Columbia Univ data journalism prof @dangerscarf.bsky.social frisket.dev
frisket.dev
frisket — an open-source AI spreadsheet
frisket: an open-source AI spreadsheet for reporting and research. Drop in documents, audio, video, ask questions, get results.
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Sharon Machlis @smachlis.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
When I talk to 'average people,' some of the greatest enthusiasm for AI agents/skills is for *community volunteer work.* Help in generating minutes, putting events on websites, searching a group's newsletters, seeing what public hearings are in a neighborhood. Not a labor revolution, but useful!
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Sharon Machlis @smachlis.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
If you've got access to both Claude Code and Codex, there's now an official OpenAI Codex plugin for Claude Code. It lets you ask Codex to review Claude's plans, files and such - inside a Claude Code session. /plugin marketplace add openai/codex-plugin-cc /plugin install codex@openai-codex
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Sharon Machlis @smachlis.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
I'm using my $100 of Claude cloud credits to improve an ancient project on GitHub that also lives on my Windows PC and Linux server, but not in sync with each other (EEK). I need to rationalize it all. Fable is explaining step by step what I need to do on the server and this is a great way to learn.
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Sharon Machlis @smachlis.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
I grew up in what was its heyday, never read it, never cared about it. Even as a teen, it wasn't that hard to see it was largely a bunch of self important entitled elites. www.thehandbasket.co/p/exclusive-...
thehandbasket.co
Exclusive: Women staffers of Jann Wenner’s Rolling Stone get their turn to speak
“The men were very angry all the time, and some of them would have full on fits—like, full-on toddler-like tantrums."
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Sharon Machlis @smachlis.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
While chatting with people about their retirements recently, I heard some decidedly different views. Some thoughts: nextchapter.machlis.com/posts/2026-0... #Retirement #NextChapter
nextchapter.machlis.com
Differing Views on Retirement – My Next Chapter: A Retirement Journey
Not everyone loves it (although I do)
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Sharon Machlis @smachlis.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
I’ve got a mosaic crochet design tool #RStats Shiny app if that helps apps.machlis.com/shiny/croche... Code: github.com/smach/crochet
apps.machlis.com
BETA Overlay Mosaic Crochet Design Tool
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Sharon Machlis @smachlis.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Does he mean like this? www.inc.com/jason-aten/m...
inc.com
Meta’s New Muse AI Agent Read My Private Messages. I Never Asked It To
Permission isn't the same and what a user actually expects your AI product will do with their personal information.
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Sharon Machlis @smachlis.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Weekly number of Bluesky posts with the #RStats hashtag (case insensitive) Sept. 2024 - Sep 25, 2026, excluding the CRAN Package Updates bot. Weeks run Sat–Fri. This past week: 189 posts Coded with {bskyr} and {ggplot2} [Posted via cron job. Tx for ur patience if something went awry] #RStatsStats
Bar chart of weekly #RStats posts (Sat–Fri). The week of Sep 19–Sep 25, 2026 had 189 posts, and the week before had 203.
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Sharon Machlis @smachlis.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
While I find the news disheartening, nature remains amazing and awe-inspiring
Colorful sunset over silhouetted trees and buildingPart of a rainbow
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Sharon Machlis @smachlis.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
That's if you use it at the website, but there's also a version you download onto a Mac or a phone.
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Sharon Machlis @smachlis.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
I won’t even install the basic Facebook app on my phone. I use a separate browser for Facebook that‘s different from browsers I use for private things. It is a TERRIBLE idea to give a Meta AI agent access to your computer, as @jasonaten.bsky.social confirms: www.inc.com/jason-aten/m...
inc.com
Meta’s New Muse AI Agent Read My Private Messages. I Never Asked It To
Permission isn't the same and what a user actually expects your AI product will do with their personal information.
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Sharon Machlis @smachlis.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
The {maposm} #RStats 📦 "downloads OpenStreetMap layers, which are then selected, simplified, merged or modified to create a set of composite layers of urban areas, buildings, green spaces, main roads, secondary roads, railways, and water bodies."-Timothée Giraud #RSpatial @openstreetmap.bsky.social
codeberg.org
maposm
R package to download, simplify and merge multiple geographic layers from OpenStreetMap for mapping purposes.
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Sharon Machlis @smachlis.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Example of the type of garbage data the US Supreme Court just allowed the Trump regime to use in order to disenfranchise American voters #USPoli ⬇️⬇️⬇️
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Sharon Machlis @smachlis.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
There weren't massive protests when the US Supreme Court improperly interfered with Florida's recount re Bush v Gore. Instead, we meekly acquiesced. And now here we are, with the Court apparently deciding that a president can block whatever voters he wants, using data riddled with errors. #USpoli
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Sharon Machlis @smachlis.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
WHAT???
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Sharon Machlis @smachlis.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
New to me: “The aim of geoarrowWidget is to facilitate fast transfer of geospatial data between R memory and the browser using GeoArrow memory layout. It also provides JavaScript bindings for reading GeoParquet files from remote URLs.” r-spatial.github.io/geoarrowWidg... #RStats ⬇️⬇️⬇️
r-spatial.github.io
Attach (Geo)Arrow and/or (Geo)Parquet Data to a Widget
Provides functions and necessary JavaScript bindings to quickly transfer spatial data from R memory or remote URLs to the browser for use in interactive HTML widgets created with the htmlwidgets R pac...
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