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Spaf

@spaf.me
379 followers 113 following 709 posts

Spaf is a homunculus of possible extraterrestrial origin, tilting at windmills. Cybersecurity, bad jokes, political outrage, academe, non-sequiturs, entropy. See about.me/spaf for more.

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Spaf @spaf.me · 3h
I am joining more than 100 voices calling on governments, funders, AI developers, and standards bodies to invest in the six conditions needed for a rigorous, reliable independent AI evaluation framework. Read the full letter at frontieraievaluation.org.
frontieraievaluation.org
Frontier AI Evaluation
Independent evaluation is infrastructure for trust. Consequential claims should be backed by evidence that can withstand independent scrutiny.
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Spaf @spaf.me · 28/09/2026
Everyone is someone else's weirdo. -- Attributed to C. A. Dykstra (1883-1950) and S. R. Adams (1957-2026) Status of my quest: my extended family, done; my university, done; the Internet at large, well underway.
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Spaf @spaf.me · 25/09/2026
Advisory: I may not be answering email today. It is only partially brillig. Thus, I will slithe a few of the toves, gyre with none of them, and gimble strictly within the wabe.
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Spaf @spaf.me · 24/09/2026
Pro tip: they're not little, they're not green, and they're not men. Unless cheap tequila is involved, in which case they're all three, and it's not an abduction; it's Saturday night. That missing time is now accounted for.
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Spaf @spaf.me · 23/09/2026
The FBI got hacked because ILoveEwe is not a strong password.
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Spaf @spaf.me · 21/09/2026
I tried carbon dating, twice. Would not recommend. The charcoal briquette was a lousy kisser, had no conversation skills, and lied about its age by 5,730 years. The match with a lump of anthracite went worse — I was immediately given the coal shoulder.
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Spaf @spaf.me · 19/09/2026
It is International Talk Like a Pirate Day! One of the classic jokes for the occasion: A pirate walks into a bar with a steering wheel hanging from his belt buckle. The barkeep asks: Do you know you have a wheel over your crotch? The pirate says, "ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR, and it's driving me nuts.
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Spaf @spaf.me · 17/09/2026
Thought for the day. Armor’s Axiom: Virtue is the failure to achieve vice.
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Spaf @spaf.me · 14/09/2026
It's frightful that people who are so ignorant should have so much influence. -- George Orwell (1903–1950) It is a terrible thought, to contemplate that an immense number of mediocre thinkers are occupied with really influential matters. -- Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900)
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Spaf @spaf.me · 11/09/2026
There are many stories about 9/11. I have my students read this one in my advanced security courses: bit.ly/4ipccJE It is a lesson about preparedness and the value of drills. It is also a lesson about leadership, sacrifice, and love. If you can access the article, it is worth a read today.
newyorker.com
https://www.newyorker.com/.../september-11th-attacks
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Spaf @spaf.me · 10/09/2026
Then: I wanted to become a mad scientist with minions, a tropical island lair, and an unlimited equipment budget. That is why I became a professor. Now: a moderately annoyed prompt engineer using an 11-year-old computer to schedule TAs from an office overlooking a gravel parking lot.
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Reposted by Spaf
Verified Voting @verifiedvoting.org · 09/09/2026
“Public trust in our elections depends on predictable, resilient systems, and true resilience cannot be built in four days.” — Alexa Raad, Cybersecurity Expert & Advisory Board Member Read Alexa’s blog post here: verifiedvoting.org/blog-usps-al...
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Spaf @spaf.me · 09/09/2026
After seeing the news out of North Carolina, I am convinced that the US (and world) would be much better off if only the President and his appointees spent more time petting baby goats.
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Spaf @spaf.me · 07/09/2026
www.duffelblog.com/west-point-r...
duffelblog.com
West Point removes ‘honor’ from ‘duty, honor, country’ ethos
Academy says concept increasingly conflicts with commander in chief’s guidance
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Spaf @spaf.me · 07/09/2026
You may live to see man-made horrors beyond your comprehension. -- attributed to Nikola Tesla He died in 1943. The Cybertruck shipped in 2023. I'm not saying he knew.
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Spaf @spaf.me · 06/09/2026
I wish more of our Republican senators were like Mitch McConnell.
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Spaf @spaf.me · 03/09/2026
"The water won't clear up until we get the hogs out of the creek." — attributed to Jim Hightower
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Spaf @spaf.me · 01/09/2026
50 years ago this week I started my undergraduate degree at SUNY Brockport. I had no idea what I wanted to be when I grew up. In another year or two, I should have it figured out.
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Spaf @spaf.me · 31/08/2026
So far they've recalled lettuce, peppers, croutons, baby food, sea moss gel, & Boner Bears chocolate syrup (undeclared Viagra). RFK Jr. proposed halving FDA field labs, so the list should get shorter any day now. Those of us who eat responsibly are unaffected: no FDA recall on Krispy Kreme.
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Spaf @spaf.me · 28/08/2026
Happy National Bow Tie Day! www.daysoftheyear.com/days/bow-tie...
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Spaf @spaf.me · 27/08/2026
Anything can be a "once in a lifetime" experience if you die on the first try. --Jack Daniel, curmudgeon extraordinaire
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Spaf @spaf.me · 24/08/2026
Today marks my 39th year of being on the Purdue faculty. Traditional 39th-anniversary gifts are gold & silver bullion and bearer bonds. Contemporary gifts are platinum with diamonds. You can use my Purdue address. Thank you in advance.
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Spaf @spaf.me · 24/08/2026
Any kind gesture which pulls another living soul out of despair is indistinguishable from magic. --MICHAELXAVIER Work magic. Be kind.
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Spaf @spaf.me · 21/08/2026
A year ago, we were worried about radioactive shrimp. Ah, simpler times!
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Spaf @spaf.me · 20/08/2026
There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn't true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true. ― Soren Kierkegaard (1813–1855)
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Spaf @spaf.me · 19/08/2026
If you are one of the 7 people who haven't seen it yet, here is the Jason Kelce "We Want Your Pee" video. Somehow, more inspiring than "We Are the World" and a poke at AI data centers, too. youtu.be/r9OhekhlZ9Y?...
youtu.be
Liquid Death x Garage Beer x Jason Kelce Want Your Pee
AI data centers use millions of gallons of water to cool their servers. So Liquid Death, Garage Beer, and Jason Kelce are asking everyone to drink our beverages and turn them into pee to cool these…
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Spaf @spaf.me · 19/08/2026
Censorship at the border. blog.ucs.org/guest-commen...
blog.ucs.org
Protecting Science from Government Intimidation - Union of Concerned Scientists
Last year when Blake, an early-career computer scientist, counted the costs of publishing their latest peer-reviewed article, they had to add a calculation: the possibility of being detained and…
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Spaf @spaf.me · 18/08/2026
106 years ago today, the 19th Amendment was ratified by one vote in Tennessee — 72 years of work by women and men alike; many suffragists never got to cast a ballot. It was not the finish line; equality for all is unfinished. Celebrate: check your registration and VOTE this fall. vote.gov
vote.gov
Register to vote in your state | Vote.gov
Find the information you need to make registration and voting easy. Official voter registration website of the United States government.
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Spaf @spaf.me · 17/08/2026
I wish the news media would stop editing their coverage to keep us from getting the full picture. They cut the end of every Miller, Hegseth, and Vance briefing, right where they turn to the camera and say "Hail Hydra." Viewers deserve the full remarks.
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Spaf @spaf.me · 13/08/2026
Dang! I look really bad naked in front of the mirror. I suspect it is the lighting here in this Macys.
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Spaf @spaf.me · 12/08/2026
Cleopatra died on this day in 30 CE. So, watch your asp. (www.history.com/articles/cle... )
history.com
Cleopatra - Life, Rule & Death | HISTORY
Cleopatra VII ruled ancient Egypt as co-regent for almost three decades. She is famed for her savvy political allianc...
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Spaf @spaf.me · 10/08/2026
I really like people who enjoy a good laugh. I just wish it didn't usually involve them nudging a friend and pointing at me.
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Spaf @spaf.me · 09/08/2026
I'm supplying doughnuts for the faculty retreat. They pair with the hazelnut creamer someone insists on bringing about as well as anything does.
Boston cream doughnut split open, filled with clam chowder instead of custard. A can of Campbell's Chunky clam chowder sits behind it.
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Spaf @spaf.me · 07/08/2026
I am pleased to share the published version of "A Survey and Taxonomy of Internet Censorship Methods" by Alex Master and me. This is derived from his PhD dissertation. authors.elsevier.com/c/1nZlS_3pco...
authors.elsevier.com
Please wait whilst we redirect you
All content on this site: Copyright © 2026 Elsevier B.V., its licensors, and contributors. All rights are reserved, including those for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies. For all open access content, the relevant licensing terms apply.
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Spaf @spaf.me · 07/08/2026
Want to meet some new people from HR? If yes, be sure to celebrate National Water Balloon Day! www.daysoftheyear.com/days/nationa...
daysoftheyear.com
National Water Balloon Day | Days Of The Year
Colorful spheres of fun bursting with laughter, turning ordinary moments into refreshing, playful memories under the sun.
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Spaf @spaf.me · 06/08/2026
Highly inspirational: "One day you will wake up, and there won't be any more time to do the things you've always wanted. Do it now." - Paulo Coelho Okay, maybe TOO inspirational. Who will Venmo some bail money?
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Spaf @spaf.me · 05/08/2026
www.duffelblog.com/duffel-blogs...
duffelblog.com
Duffel Blog’s Top 13 ideas for solving the Iran War
CENTCOM requested creative and unconventional proposals. It did not specify they had to be good.
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Spaf @spaf.me · 03/08/2026
Summer break has gone on for months. I missed work so much that I went out to a stable to muck horse stalls. Just like a faculty meeting, except no PowerPoint and less shoveling.
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Spaf @spaf.me · 02/08/2026
Happy National Couch Cleaning Day! (Coincidentally, it is also JD Vance's birthday.)
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Spaf @spaf.me · 01/08/2026
None of my posts are AI slop. All of my slop is hand-crafted, lovingly curated, and immediately regretted.
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Spaf @spaf.me · 30/07/2026
Some people have praised my problem-solving skills. In fairness, most of those problems were ones I caused.
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Spaf @spaf.me · 29/07/2026
People have complained about my humor. They call it "sick." I'm not sick -- I'm twisted. "Sick" makes it sound as if there's a cure.
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Spaf @spaf.me · 27/07/2026
I just learned that a former colleague has been arrested. What a shock! He has been accused of taking human skin from a medical supply company. He wasn't charged with theft -- it was graft.
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Spaf @spaf.me · 23/07/2026
I've been thinking about what I might do to stay occupied if I retire. Perhaps a dating site for chickens? Without a regular income, I would struggle to make hens meet.
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Spaf @spaf.me · 21/07/2026
Do NOT take the Cyclosporiasis outbreak lightly. Getting it from extra spicy tacos has consequences!
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Spaf @spaf.me · 20/07/2026
57 years ago today, a Purdue University graduate became the first human to set foot on the moon. Here's to the pathfinders, groundbreakers, and history makers -- many of whom just happen to have ties to Purdue.
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Spaf @spaf.me · 20/07/2026
A computer science department is a nonempty set of researchers such that each claims to be doing cutting-edge AI, and at least one other will insist that work is merely curve-fitting on a deprecated dataset.
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Spaf @spaf.me · 19/07/2026
A Rocky Horror Picture Show still — Dr. Frank-N-Furter open-mouthed, with a muscular blond man (Rocky) leaning against him — captioned 'Pete Hegseth after creating his perfect soldier.'
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Spaf @spaf.me · 17/07/2026
Recent news makes clear that we are in the height of tick season.
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Spaf @spaf.me · 16/07/2026
It took a while, but he's come around in support of gender-affirming care. thehill.com/policy/defen...
thehill.com
Hegseth announces annual testosterone screenings for service members
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Wednesday announced a new effort to annually screen service members’ testosterone levels and offer testosterone replacement therapy (TRT), framing it as a way to k…
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