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David Faden

@util.bsky.social
620 followers 2.4K following 423 posts

Father, husband, software engineer, and analyst, interested in California native plants, Bayes, utilitarianism. Trying to stay curious about many things.

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David Faden @util.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
I'm curious about APL, k, q, etc. Hoping to return to this sometime: peachq.org
peachq.org
PeachQ - Open source q preview
PeachQ is an open source q implementation built on Rayforce, with DuckDB storage being explored.
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David Faden @util.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Anybody have experience cooking with society garlic? I cooked some for the first time last night: blog.revfad.com/2026/09/27/e... Still tasting garlic this morning :-)
blog.revfad.com
Eating society garlic (Tulbaghia violacea) – Revfad Blog
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Sanho Tree @sanho.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Happy Stanislav Petrov day! He saved the world from nuclear annihilation on this day in 1983. My freshman year in college would have been so much worse without his courage.🧵
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David Faden @util.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Catchy. :-]
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David Faden @util.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
This looks neat: puffer.ai Via: emerge-lab.github.io.
puffer.ai
PufferLib is a fast and sane reinforcement learning library that can train tiny, super-human models in seconds. The included learning algorithm, hyperparameter tuning, and simulation methods are the product of our own research. All our tools are free and open source. Need a high performance environment for your application? We build them professionally and offer training + extended support. Contact jsuarez🐡puffer🐡ai.
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David Faden @util.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
How did the heat shield hold up? idlewords.com/2026/03/arte...
idlewords.com
Artemis II Is Not Safe to Fly (Idle Words)
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David Faden @util.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Haunted by idlewords.com/talks/haunte... (2015). "What would Nixon do?" Quaint. Also makes me curious about what is planned for the waste from new nuclear projects coming online.
idlewords.com
Haunted By Data
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David Faden @util.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Some Variable Linanthus (Leptosiphon parviflorus) seeds from seedhunt.com germinated after just two days. More: calscape.org/plant/68257/.... No guarantee of success -- you can see I did a bad job spreading them out, and I was lazy with the media -- but a good start, I hope? #californianativeplants
Teeny green sprouts, not even yet with the seed leaves open, but with a fuzz of white roots reaching out.
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Adam Steinbaugh @adamsteinbaugh.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
BREAKING: An Iowa state court dismisses President Donald Trump’s frivolous lawsuit against veteran pollster J. Ann Selzer (represented by @thefireorg.bsky.social) and the Des Moines Register newspaper, a victory for First Amendment rights. Opinion here: www.fire.org/research-lea...
This case sets a President, a member of Congress, and a former state senator against a pollster and a newspaper, and it arises out of an election. A case of that kind invites the reader to look for a political result. The Court’s role is narrower. It is to sit as an impartial arbiter, to apply the law without passion or prejudice, and to rule without regard to the politics of the day. As such, the only question before the Court is whether the Petition states a claim the law recognizes. At its core, the Plaintiffs’ Petition seeks to stretch both Iowa statutory and common law beyond their current bounds, turning speech that enjoys the highest category of First Amendment protection into a liability. After considering the parties’ arguments, the Court must conclude that the protection is too great and the reach is too far. The case must therefore be dismissed.
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David Faden @util.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Would be neat to tour this for real someday: sunset.com/home-garden/...
sunset.com
Tour the 300-Acre Northern California Farm That's Been Committed to Native Plants for Almost 40 Years
Hedgerow Farms is a Northern California farm that is focused on growing stunning native plant seeds and ecological restoration.
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David Faden @util.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Today I learned: Helium *can* make compounds, and one of them -- helonium -- is probably the first compound formed after the Big Bang and is also the strongest known acid: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helium_....
en.wikipedia.org
Helium hydride ion - Wikipedia
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David Faden @util.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Goodhart's Law appears: youtu.be/M0--ZH1lOzg?... A reassessment of what matters in math. Community. Communication. Consensus. Canonicalization.
youtu.be
ICM 2026 Public Lectures - Terence Tao
YouTube video by Simons Foundation
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David Faden @util.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
vagrerfgvat blog.cryptographyengineering.com/2026/05/29/f...
blog.cryptographyengineering.com
Let’s talk about encrypted reasoning
Update August 11, 2026: A group of researchers from all over Europe were inspired by this post, and actually turned it into a real working attack! Check out their writeup and paper here. This is a …
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David Faden @util.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Appreciating @bcantrill.bsky.social standing up for readers: bcantrill.dtrace.org/2026/09/05/t.... Wonder if expectations on grammar and flow will increase as writing aides improve, stifling style somewhat. I'm imagining built-in spell check earlier increased pressure to get spelling "right"?
bcantrill.dtrace.org
The revolt of the reader | The Observation Deck
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David Faden @util.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Happy to see that this is already on order for our local library.
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David Faden @util.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
It's not the main point, but I'm happy to have learned of Penrose via this: github.com/penrose/penr...
github.com
GitHub - penrose/penrose: Create beautiful diagrams just by typing notation in plain text.
Create beautiful diagrams just by typing notation in plain text. - penrose/penrose
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David Faden @util.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Delightful. research.swtch.com/zip
research.swtch.com
research!rsc: Zip Files All The Way Down
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David Faden @util.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
Via Reddit, learned of "Charade" being in the public domain due to a copyright mixup. Someone shared this tool for exploring movies available via Wikipedia: wikiflix.toolforge.org. Lot of great stuff, also great raw material for other projects. Grateful again to everyone contributing.
wikiflix.toolforge.org
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David Faden @util.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Am reminded again of the joy of r.geocompx.org. So much wonderful stuff available for free.
r.geocompx.org
Welcome | Geocomputation with R
Welcome | Geocomputation with R is for people who want to analyze, visualize and model geographic data with open source software. It is based on R, a statistical programming language that has powerful...
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David Faden @util.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
Thankful to Exercism and its community. Just got to 50% on the C++ track. exercism.org/tracks/cpp/e... Still having fun. Looking forward to trying out other languages.
Completed 50.
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David Faden @util.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Happy to see that Bing Maps hasn't renamed Lake Ontario. www.bing.com/maps/search?....
Screenshot from Bing Maps, taken from an IP address in the US Midwest, showing that Bing Maps hasn't renamed Lake Ontario.
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David Faden @util.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
Neat to see Cyriak on here.
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David Faden @util.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
Potato and lens flare.
Still haven't figured out moon photography with my camera phone. Should've gotten a Samsung.
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David Faden @util.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
Just found another source of free ebooks: www.iastatedigitalpress.com/plugins/books/. Fun to see a book from one of my old professors there: www.iastatedigitalpress.com/plugins/book... "Basic Engineering Data Collection and Analysis"
iastatedigitalpress.com
Published Books
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dataindex.us @dataindex.us · 10/08/2026
How do we track terminations of federal data? Since the 2025 admin change, disappearing federal datasets have sparked widespread concern and confusion. Today, dataindex.us published the Federal Data Terminations Tracker—the most policy-relevant, verified source of terminated federal datasets.
dataindex.us
Federal Data Terminations Tracker | dataindex.us
A verified, regularly updated record of federal datasets, data elements, and tools terminated or removed since January 2025.
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David Faden @util.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
Love that Python supports `<`, `<=`, etc., for subset tests. Around since version 2 at least: docs.python.org/2/library/st....
Python prompts with various inline subset operator examples
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David Faden @util.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
Japanese cheesewood in Japan! blog.revfad.com/2026/08/04/j...
Shiny green leaves with some developing seedpods. Japanese cheesewood.Zoomed out photo of a Japanese cheesewood bush (probably). The bushes were growing on the inner side of a retaining wall across the sidewalk from a sea wall in Ibusuki, Japan.
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Project Gutenberg @gutenberg.org · 29/07/2026
7 People Who Saved the Most Lives in History While tyrants may dominate public memory, there are many heroes who helped mankind and saved millions of lives. www.thecollector.com/people-saved... #history Florence Nightingale
This is a photograph of Florence Nightingale taken by Henry Hering. She appears young and looks straight ahead. Her dark hair is parted in the middle and pulled back smoothly over her ears. She wears a light-colored, ruffled lace cap on her head. Her dress is dark with a white lace collar.
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David Faden @util.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
Grateful to @lizthegrey.com and the rest of the Honeycomb team for making www.honeycomb.io/observabilit... available for free. Looking forward to reading it!
honeycomb.io
Honeycomb’s O’Reilly Book Observability Engineering, 2nd Ed.
Let authors Charity Majors, Liz Fong-Jones, George Miranda, and Austin Parker explain how to apply Observability successfully in your organization.
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David Faden @util.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
Just came across pygis.io/docs/a_intro... -- free book on using open source tools for geo data analysis. I love the WWW. Much gratitude to the authors.
pygis.io
PyGIS™ - Open Source Spatial Programming & Remote Sensing — PyGIS&trade; - Python Open Source Spatial Programming & Remote Sensing
Introducing PyGIS an open source book on spatial programming. We cover how to handle points, lines and polygons including shapefiles, handling remote sensing imagery, and other raster data.
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David Faden @util.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
Was disappointed to learn today that Berkeley Bowl isn't selling the lab grown meat mentioned in this article. Seems it was a one off? www.sfgate.com/food/article...
sfgate.com
Berkeley Bowl dishes up meat banned in red states
No pigs died in the making of these meatballs.
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David Faden @util.bsky.social · 05/07/2026
Was delighted to learn of a couple languages via this language pop-up on cartes.app: Brezhoneg (Breton) and Occitan. Fun to see the code for the list here: codeberg.org/cartes/web/s... and codeberg.org/cartes/web/s...
The pop-up has a flag connected with each language, starting with the French flag. The language names are:

Français
English
Deutsch
Italiano
Español
Català
Occitan
Brezhoneg
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David Faden @util.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
May Chen explores the insect life in a native plant garden, close up -- bumble bee queens, aphid mummies, skippers, and more. One new thing for me: it's not just wasps making galls -- aphids can too. bringingbackthenatives.net/guest-post/p... #californianativeplants
bringingbackthenatives.net
Pollinator Post 6/15/26 - Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour and Green Home Features Showcase
After dropping Fred off at Shoreline Park for his walk this afternoon, I head for the Bay Farm Island Library to check on the native plant garden there.  Much to my delight, the young garden
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Ryan Moulton @moultano.bsky.social · 19/06/2026
I spent the last month obsessed with finding colors that can't be displayed on a conventional screen. This is what I found. moultano.wordpress.com/2026/06/19/w...
moultano.wordpress.com
Where to Find the Colors Your Screen Can’t Show You
An atlas of the vibrance of the real world
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David Faden @util.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
Seems like [sunset time] no longer works to get the sunset time on Google?
Google search results for [sunset time] no longer show the sunset time onebox but instead show an AI Overview?
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David Faden @util.bsky.social · 15/06/2026
I did some weeding while I was visiting my parents. blog.revfad.com/2026/06/15/c.... I got to learn a little about creeping thistles (Cirsium arvense).
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Tim Mak @timkmak.bsky.social · 15/06/2026
NEWSFLASH: Russia has struck the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, a historic monastery complex. The overnight attack also destroyed a national film studio and a key Ukrainian logistics hub in the capital.
counteroffensive.news
NEWSFLASH: For Russia, even a monastery is a target
Overnight, Russia launched dozens of missiles and drones, destroying a historic film studio and a Ukrainian logistics hub in Kyiv.
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🦋Special Kherson Cat🐈🇺🇦 @specialkhersoncat.bsky.social · 15/06/2026
Russia struck the Dormition Cathedral of the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, setting its roof on fire. Built in the 11th century, the cathedral is the main church of the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of Ukraine's most important Christian shrines.
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ProPublica @propublica.org · 12/06/2026
NEW: After ProPublica contacted leading vaccine skeptic Dr. Joseph Mercola for an article on babies dying after parents turned down vitamin K shots, he publicly reversed his long-held stance that the shots weren't needed. “The data is clear: vitamin K saves lives,” he wrote.
propublica.org
A Popular Doctor Had Long Warned That Vitamin K Shots Are Risky for Newborns. Now He’s Changed His Tune.
After ProPublica contacted Dr. Joseph Mercola for an article on babies dying after parents turned down vitamin K shots, he publicly reversed his long-held stance that the shots weren't needed. “The da...
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David Faden @util.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
Roger of "Roger's Red" comments on the cultivar named for him: pacifichorticulture.org/articles/vit.... (Shared recently on Facebook.) "The paternity test confirmed what had long been suspected: ‘Roger’s Red’ was a hybrid between a native grape (V. californica) and a wine grape cultivar ..."
pacifichorticulture.org
Pacific Horticulture | Vitis 'Roger's Red'
The colorful grape known as ‘Roger’s Red’ has become a popular ornamental vine, valued for its brilliant red fall color, vigorous growth, and ease of cultivation. Recent genetic studies done by Gerald...
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David Faden @util.bsky.social · 06/06/2026
May Chen has another lovely Pollinator Post entry, this one covering Hooker's evening primrose and Oregon gumweed plus some insect friends from a recent hike: bringingbackthenatives.net/guest-post/p...
bringingbackthenatives.net
Pollinator Post 5/31/26 - Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour and Green Home Features Showcase
It’s almost noon when Fred and I make it to Bay Farm on this sunny, calm day. A glossy, black insect is perched on a petal of the Hooker’s Evening Primrose flower, Oenothera elata.
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David Faden @util.bsky.social · 24/05/2026
Just happened to finish "Equal Rites" this morning, my first intro to Granny Weatherwax. Maybe I'll pick up "Mort" next based on this article. I'm thankful for the gift link. What're your favorites from Pratchett?
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David Faden @util.bsky.social · 18/05/2026
I'm sorry not to have made time to finish reading "The Consciousness Instinct" from en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael... of split brain fame before it was due. Here's one bit that caught my attention (pun not intended?).
Some form of selective signal enhancement has been found in animals ranging from crabs to birds to primates, suggesting it is an ability shared with our last common ancestor, which was roaming around about 550 MYA. The earliest manifestation of this "data control" ability was a rudimentary form of attention, a process that helped manage the onslaught of sensory information besieging an exploring hunk of cells. A signal-enhancing process appeared early in evolution to help organisms sort out which of all the stimuli bombarding them might be more relevant for survival (better to give priority to information about an approaching threat, meal, or mate than to much else) and has been conserved across all life forms, stemming from this early organism.

Steven Wiederman and David O'Carroll at the University of Adelaide in Australia discovered that in the modern-day dragonfly brain there is a single visual neuron that selects one particular prey-like visual target and follows it, completely ignoring another. This is interesting not only because it demonstrates that dragonflies have a form of competitive selection, which is required for visual attention, but also because a selective attention process is accomplished by a single cell. In vertebrates, selective signal enhancement evolved into what we now call attention...
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David Faden @util.bsky.social · 16/05/2026
Was happy Thursday (April 14) to see a new planting of calscape.org/Eriophyllum-... starting to bloom. Hoping to gradually replace the sweet alyssum and Jupiter's beard. I need to be mindful that people in our community like the flowers though.
Yellow flower with a yellow center. Common woolly sunflower.Common woolly sunflower (Eriophyllum lanatum) between sweet alyssum (Lobularia maritima) and Jupiter's beard (Valeriana rubra). The alyssum may have been planted at some point but now reseeds itself each year. The Jupiter's beard likely blew in from somewhere else.
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Brendan Nyhan @brendannyhan.bsky.social · 14/05/2026
🚨New Bright Line Watch report on the rule of law in the US - joint w/@rickhasen.bsky.social's Strengthening Democracy Project at UCLA Law The most comprehensive expert survey to date - 21 federal judges, 113 elite lawyers, and 193 law profs brightlinewatch.org/erosion-of-t... 🧵 on findings below ⬇️
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Nicholas Grossman @nicholasgrossman.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
Some of the identified individuals the US killed in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific showed "no indication of involvement with drug trafficking." And even if they were traffickers, they'd be low level. Killing them would make virtually no impact on the cartels or drug trafficking into the US.
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David Faden @util.bsky.social · 14/05/2026
Clearing out all the selected icons on fontello.com: `[...document.querySelectorAll('.icon-remove')].forEach(e => e .click())` ... What's the right way to do this?
fontello.com
Fontello - icon fonts generator
Tool to build custom fonts with icons.
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David Faden @util.bsky.social · 14/05/2026
First gumweed bloom of the year in our yard. Not sure on which Grindelia it is.
Yellow flower(s) surrounded by green leaves. GrindeliaA gumweed plant with one blossom open, several sticky buds getting ready to open up.
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David Faden @util.bsky.social · 14/05/2026
Lots of neat photos of insects (bumblebees, thick-headed flies, sand wasps, and more) on a coffeeberry in this new post from May Chen: bringingbackthenatives.net/guest-post/p.... You can see the full archive of her posts here: bringingbackthenatives.net/pollinator-p.... #californianativeplants
bringingbackthenatives.net
Pollinator Post 5/12/26 - Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour and Green Home Features Showcase
It’s an overcast, windy afternoon at Bay Farm.  I zip up my jacket as I get out of the car, and don’t expect to see many insects today. A Yellow-faced Bumble Bee, subgenus Pyrobombus (genus
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David Faden @util.bsky.social · 13/05/2026
Select all the items in a custom font uploaded to fontello.com: `[...document.querySelectorAll('.font-custom_icons .selector__glyph .selector__glyph-inner')].forEach(e => e .click())`. I wanted to add some items to it. I'm assuming that there's a better way to do this, but it worked.
fontello.com
Fontello - icon fonts generator
Tool to build custom fonts with icons.
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