Wim @wimlouw.com · 28/09/2026On the drive tonight, Title Fight “Floral Green”, hoarse and shimmering 000
Wim @wimlouw.com · 27/09/2026Have you read Lydia Davis’ Thirty Recommendations for Good Writing Habits? So good. I’m still thinking about Chaudhuri’s dust, the shard in “ostracise”, and V.S. Naipaul’s blue soap and incense. Cultivating curiosity and delight in careful noticing feels more essential than ever 000
Wim @wimlouw.com · 26/09/2026Heard the new Hirs Collective album “Empty Urn”? **You are beautiful, you deserve to be alive** 000
Reposted by WimKieran Setiya @ksetiya.bsky.social · 03/09/2026Colin Burrow, insightful as always, on Helen Vendler and the function of criticism @lrb.co.uk www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...lrb.co.ukColin Burrow · Good Weird or Bad Weird: Uses of CriticismLiterary criticism is a supremely occasional skill, where you have to be bold enough to operate where there aren’t any... 021
Reposted by WimEmily Riederer @emilyriederer.bsky.social · 14/08/2026Last night I tracked down Jenny Bryan’s absolutely lovely 2019 UseR! keynote on Code Smells (worth the watch, btw!) riffing off of Martin Fowler Confronting more AI slop documents this morning, may is suggested we adopt the “Claude smells”? 2231
Reposted by WimAki Vehtari @avehtari.bsky.social · 13/08/2026All four books I've co-authored are freely available online for non-commercial use: - Bayesian Workflow at avehtari.github.io/Bayesian-Wor... Links to other three books are in the quoted post 👇 (too many books to fit in one post!)avehtari.github.ioBayesian Workflow book: Website – Bayesian Workflow bookWebsite for the Bayesian Workflow book by Gelman, Vehtari, McElreath, et al. — case studies, code, and exercises in R and Stan. 8283133
Reposted by WimDanielle Navarro @djnavarro.net · 06/08/2026The title is a little pointed, but I am very serious here. Academics, medical researchers, and other organisations should not collect data on birth sex. It is rarely relevant, and it almost always leads to privacy violations for transgender people. Please share. I would like people to read this one.blog.djnavarro.netSeparating sex and gender is statistical malpractice – Notes from a data witchStatisticians and academics in Australia should ignore the terrible advice of most LGBTIQA+ organisations and read this post instead. The 2020 ABS standard is almost never the correct way to collect d... 14236119
Reposted by WimOliver Hanney @olihanney.bsky.social · 07/07/2026🆕 Has development economics lost its way? On this episode of Ideas in Development, @rglenner.bsky.social @cgdev.org joined me for a wide-ranging chat about micro vs macro, how academic consensus is built, and what impactful careers currently look like in economics.youtube.comRachel Glennerster on micro vs macro, academic consensus, and impactful careers in developmentYouTube video by VoxDev 154
Wim @wimlouw.com · 27/06/2026www.hobartpulp.com/web_features...hobartpulp.comInfinite Detail: One Man’s Attempt to Graphically Chronicle Infinite Jest by Hannah SmartGraphic designer Christian Swinehart wears thick-rimmed square glasses and a green button-down with the top button undone. He articulates his consonants and gesticulates with his hands and sometimes p... 000
Reposted by WimPyConZA @za.pycon.org · 24/06/2026Got an idea worth sharing? This is your moment. We invite speakers, builders, and community leaders to submit proposals that inspire, challenge, and spark new conversations. 🎤 Submit your proposal and join us in Cape Town. za.pycon.org/pages/speak... #Proposals #PyConZA #Python 021
Reposted by WimGarth Greenwell @garthgreenwell.bsky.social · 12/06/2026I shared some thoughts on David Hockney, whom I never met but whose work I’ve kept close for a long time. Also: his kindness to the great neglected painter Patrick Angus. Free post, no paywall. garthgreenwell.substack.com/p/some-thoug... 12010
Reposted by WimOliver Hanney @olihanney.bsky.social · 02/06/2026🆕 Aggregating evidence, the research process, and empowering the public to understand research All that & more in this week's episode of Ideas in Development with @economeager.bsky.social. Really enjoyed discussing how we can improve the evidence base in economics by aggregating. 2237
Reposted by WimRafe Meager (they/them) @economeager.bsky.social · 06/05/2026You’ve got to be bookmaxxing. You have to be knowledgepilled and on that information grind. Checking in and looking things up and citing sources. Dont let them bookmog you. Read. 117155
Wim @wimlouw.com · 14/03/2026Good synthesis of the discourse around coding and AI right now: www.nytimes.com/2026/03/12/m...nytimes.comCoding After Coders: The End of Computer Programming as We Know It 030
Reposted by WimThe Yale Review @yalereview.bsky.social · 05/03/2026"I wrote an ode to reticence, my habit of perfection. The held and holding word, its wetting tract is not, as Hopkins said, renunciation but a space, I think for coiled sound to shift." —Isabel Neal, "Doublet"yalereview.org 051
Reposted by WimLondon Review of Books @lrb.co.uk · 12/02/2026Where is it we are heading. So fast. But is this fast. I must speak what is in my heart. I don’t know if there’s anything left now in my heart. It is so dry. I must scour it with words. ‘You Shall Not Speak’, a poem by Jorie Graham. www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...lrb.co.ukJorie Graham · Poem: ‘You Shall Not Speak’ 0379
Reposted by WimMatthew Honnibal @honnibal.bsky.social · 05/02/2026Style (and mindset) tips for less experienced developers working with AI honnibal.dev/blog/llm-sty...honnibal.devStyle tips for less experienced developers coding with AI · honnibal.devMatthew Honnibal is a computational linguist from Sydney based in Berlin, Germany. He's the author of the spaCy Natural Language Processing library and the co-founder of Explosion. 1203
Reposted by WimJessica Hullman @jessicahullman.bsky.social · 09/01/2026Wrote a summary of a great keynote by @zey.bsky.social at NeurIPS, arguing that we’re having the wrong nightmares about AI: not AGI or superhuman benchmarks, but good-enough genAI at scale threatens "load bearing frictions" society relies on to signal effort, authenticity, sincerity, credibility.open.substack.comZeynep Tufecki on having the wrong nightmares about generative AII was writing a blog post where I was going to reference Zeynep Tufecki’s 2025 NeurIPS keynote, and realized there isn’t a solid synopsis online. 28027
Reposted by WimSaloni @scientificdiscovery.dev · 09/12/2025Big new blogpost! My guide to data visualization, which includes a very long table of contents, tons of charts, and more. --> Why data visualization matters and how to make charts more effective, clear, transparent, and sometimes, beautiful. www.scientificdiscovery.dev/p/salonis-gu... 28806313
Reposted by WimOliver Hanney @olihanney.bsky.social · 09/12/2025🆕 Ten key insights from development economics in 2025 The world is changing rapidly. Can research inform what comes next? I spent a long time trying to condense everything I read this year at @voxdev.bsky.social into ten key insights, you can read the full blog here: voxdev.org/topic/ten-ke...voxdev.orgTen key insights from development economics in 2025Research on VoxDev in 2025 has shed light on getting stuff done, paying for it, the changing development landscape, and a whole lot more. 02514
Reposted by WimNoam Angrist @noamangrist.bsky.social · 12/11/2025📣 @youthimpactorg.bsky.social is hiring a Learning Partnerships Lead, who will lead A/B testing partnerships & high-profile research-to-action partnerships: www.youth-impact.org/join-our-tea... ➡️ An exciting role for those who care about rigorous evidence being used in practice on a day-to-day basisyouth-impact.orgLearning Partnerships Lead | Youth ImpactWe are seeking a dynamic, experienced research manager and communicator to lead Youth Impact’s A/B testing partnerships and external research collaborations. This role will sit at the intersection of ... 053
Reposted by WimJessica Hullman @jessicahullman.bsky.social · 10/09/2025I rewrote Allen Ginsberg's Howl, but for the AI-headed hipsters👇 "I saw the best minds of my generation distracted by machines, shining-eyed delusional demo gods, rubbering through polished cities at dusk Capitalizing The Next Big Push to the end of Introspection, 1/N 1102
Reposted by WimuseR! - The R User Conference @user-conf.bsky.social · 08/08/2025You can watch Hadley's keynote at this link: www.youtube.com/live/ctc2kx3... #useR2025youtube.comI wrote this talk with an LLM - Hadley Wickham (useR! 2025 Keynote 1)YouTube video by Duke Center for Computational Thinking 15319
Reposted by WimOliver Hanney @olihanney.bsky.social · 17/07/2025Teaching or studying economics? This blog is for you... @emaansiddique.bsky.social and I have updated @voxdev.bsky.social's series of blogs showcasing how economists use different econometric techniques to answer interesting and important policy questions. Read here: voxdev.org/topic/exampl...voxdev.orgExamples from development economics for your introduction to econometrics courseEconomists employ a wide range of econometric methods when conducting research. Here are some examples of how these techniques are used to generate interesting and useful policy insights in developmen... 0157
Reposted by WimGarth Greenwell @garthgreenwell.bsky.social · 14/06/2025I talked with The Yale Review about two essays of mine--on Philip Roth and Miranda July--they've published in recent years. Many thanks to the editors. backmatter.yalereview.org/p/behind-the... 0122
Reposted by WimLighthouse Reports @lighthousereports.com · 11/06/2025Most reporting on AI examines worst-case systems deployed under the guise of efficiency. But what would a good faith effort at Ethical AI look like? For two years, we’ve been looking over the shoulder of a city trying to do things differently. 12017
Reposted by WimJessica Hullman @jessicahullman.bsky.social · 05/06/2025I'm excited about this paper - clearly AI won't always work, but many counterarguments to using AI for decision-making are statistically hard to justify or make narrow appeals to ethics. We identify w/4 criteria where its bad for decisions. Blog post: statmodeling.stat.columbia.edu/2025/06/05/w...statmodeling.stat.columbia.edu When are AI/ML models unlikely to help with decision-making? | Statistical Modeling, Causal Inference, and Social Science 2274
Reposted by WimDaniel de Kadt @dandekadt.bsky.social · 11/04/2025In aviation, flight-deck automation is generally understood to be a good thing: It reduces scope for erroneous human inputs and allows pilots to better manage and focus their limited resources. But there is a risk: Pilots may never really learn to fly manually, or they may let those skills atrophy. 193
Wim @wimlouw.com · 07/04/2025Exciting Data Engineering role with J-PAL Africa’s Water, Air and Energy Lab and City of Cape Town’s Data Science team 🇿🇦povertyactionlab.orgData Scientist - J-PAL Africa | The Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab 030
Reposted by WimStefan Dercon @gamblingondev.bsky.social · 27/02/2025Centre for the Study of African Economies at University of Oxford will automatically consider all applicants from Africa for full funding for the MPhil in Economics - we have new scholarships for eligible students. How? Just apply asap: deadline 4th March (extended deadline): see below 13646
Reposted by WimNoam Angrist @noamangrist.bsky.social · 24/02/2025📣 Join our team in South Africa as a Research Manager! Support cutting-edge research on a set of scaling evidence-based programs in collaboration w/ the Department of Basic Education @youthimpactorg.bsky.social @j-pal.bsky.social Lego Zenex + more www.youth-impact.org/join-our-tea...youth-impact.orgResearch Manager | Youth Impact 075
Reposted by WimJ-PAL @j-pal.bsky.social · 19/02/2025👋 Hi! J-PAL is now on Bluesky! 📊 We’re looking forward to bringing conversations on evidence-informed policy to this new space. Follow us for updates on the latest research, policy insights, and how rigorous evidence is helping shape a better world. 06022
Reposted by WimJessica Hullman @jessicahullman.bsky.social · 23/01/2025@economeager.bsky.social's excellent essay got me thinking about how we confuse research with affirming (& preserving) our identity. Where we can tolerate uncertainty but only to the extent it blows in the direction of our unfolding personal narrative statmodeling.stat.columbia.edu/2025/01/23/s...statmodeling.stat.columbia.edu Science and the malleability of the self | Statistical Modeling, Causal Inference, and Social Science 1192
Wim @wimlouw.com · 12/12/2024“The Philosopher L. A. Paul Wants Us to Think About Our Selves” www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...newyorker.comThe Philosopher L. A. Paul Wants Us to Think About Our SelvesTo whom should we have allegiance—the version of ourself making choices, or the version of ourself who will be affected by them? 020
Reposted by WimJessica Hullman @jessicahullman.bsky.social · 06/12/2024I'm teaching a grad seminar this winter on Prediction for Decision-making. We'll look at what it means to make good predictions for decision-making from various angles, with a focus on decisions for & about people. Reading list: statmodeling.stat.columbia.edu/2024/12/06/n... Suggestions welcome!statmodeling.stat.columbia.edu New Course: Prediction for (Individualized) Decision-making | Statistical Modeling, Causal Inference, and Social Science 2318531
Reposted by WimAlejandra Caraballo @esqueer.net · 30/11/2024Can't believe I just hit 125k followers on here! There are so many more wonderful queer and trans voices you should follow as well. I created a starter pack with them. Give them a follow! go.bsky.app/DVtrFQR 1061530267
Reposted by WimJosh Budlender @joshbudlender.bsky.social · 29/11/2024Come attend the 2024 SALDRU December Workshop! 12-13 December, School of Economics, U of Cape Town. We've got a great list of speakers, and v pleased the keynote will be Dennis Egger (@eggerdennis.bsky.social) presenting "Slack & Economic Development". All welcome! RSVP: forms.gle/cwdPjw7iEjqa... 022
Reposted by WimMelissa Sands @msands.bsky.social · 28/11/2024Celebrate the holiday by roasting this bird (delete your Twitter account; it feels good 🎉):media.tenor.coma twitter logo on a blue background with linesALT: a twitter logo on a blue background with lines 1101
Reposted by WimHadley Wickham @hadley.nz · 29/11/2024If you're interested in trying out LLMs in #rstats but don't know where to begin, I've added a few two vignettes to elmer: elmer.tidyverse.org/articles/elm... and elmer.tidyverse.org/articles/pro...elmer.tidyverse.orgGetting started with elmer 1026564
Reposted by WimJulia Silge @juliasilge.com · 28/10/2024We've got a brand new, baby website for Positron! Take a look if you are interested in getting started, and please let us know how it goes: positron.posit.copositron.posit.coPositronA next-generation data science IDE 411843
Reposted by WimJulia Evans @b0rk.jvns.ca · 21/10/2024intro post: I post a lot of explanations of computer things, here's an example! this one's an intro to Git's internals 735281
Reposted by WimPyConZA @za.pycon.org · 02/10/2024The City of Cape Town is a Silver sponsor of #PyConZA2024 🐍. Welcome aboard! za.pycon.org/sponsors/8/za.pycon.orgPyConZA 2024 011
Reposted by WimSeema Jayachandran @seema.bsky.social · 01/10/2024ungatedresearch.org is a wonderful public good being developed by Martin Abel and Susie Godlonton. It's a website with links to the latest ungated version of papers published in several economics journals. Especially valuable in LMICs where many scholars don't have access to the journals. 28950
Wim @wimlouw.com · 28/09/2024So cool: www.nytimes.com/interactive/...nytimes.com10-Minute Challenge: ‘Canopy’We’d like you to look at one piece of art for 10 minutes, uninterrupted. 010
Reposted by WimAndrew Gelman et al. @statmodeling.bsky.social · 26/09/2024What’s the story behind that paper by the Center for Open Science team that just got retracted? statmodeling.stat.columbia.edu/2024/09/26/w...statmodeling.stat.columbia.edu What’s the story behind that paper by the Center for Open Science team that just got retracted? | Statistical Modeling, Causal Inference, and Social Science 24418
Reposted by WimJessica Hullman @jessicahullman.bsky.social · 11/09/2024We (me & @berkustun.bsky.social) created a starter pack of researchers working on algorithmic decision-making & fairness. Other platforms still seem to dominate for many ML-related topics, but maybe this will help Probably missed people, so let us know if you have suggestions! go.bsky.app/851zVkg 76223
Wim @wimlouw.com · 23/09/2024Having a wonderful day off today, rereading some gems: yalereview.org/article/dana... ❤️yalereview.orgDana Levin: "Lessons of the Line"Dana Levin remembers the unlikely teacher she found in poet Charles Simic. 000
Wim @wimlouw.com · 23/09/2024❤️ harpers.org/archive/2020...harpers.orgMaking Meaning, by Garth GreenwellAgainst “relevance” in art 000
Wim @wimlouw.com · 18/09/2024“Bluesky now has over 10 million users, and I was #1,147,042!” Cool 😎 000
Reposted by WimEmily M. Bender @emilymbender.bsky.social · 16/09/2024"It is not the case that “AI gathers data from the Web and learns from it.” The reality is that AI companies gather data and then optimize models to reproduce representations of that data for profit." www.techpolicy.press/challenging-... Long, v. worthwhile read from Eryk Salvaggiotechpolicy.pressChallenging The Myths of Generative AI | TechPolicy.PressEryk Salvaggio says we must dispense with myths if we are to think more clearly about what AI actually is and does. 7375149
![HEAD
HEAD is a tiny file that just contains the name of your current branch
.git/HEAD
ref: refs/heads/main
HEAD can also be a commit ID, that’s called “detached HEAD state”
branches
a branch is stored as a tiny file that just contains 1 commit ID. It’s stored in a folder called refs/heads.
7622629 - (actually 40 characters)
tags are in refs/tags, the stash is in refs/stash
commit
a commit is a small file containing its parent(s), message, tree, and author
.git/objects/7622629
tree c4e6559
parent 037ab87
author Julia <x@y.com> 1697682215
committer Julia <x@y.com> 1697682215
commit message goes here
these are compressed, the best way to see objects is with git cat-file -p HASH
trees
trees are small files with directory listings. The files in it are called “blobs”
.git/objects/c4e6559
100644 blob e351d93 404.html
100644 blob cab4165 hello.py
040000 tree 9de29f7 lib
the permissions here LOOK like unix permissions, but they’re actually super restricted, only 644 and 755 are allowed
blobs
blobs are the files that contain your actual code
.git/objects/cab4165
print("hello world!!!!")
reflog
the reflog stores the history of every branch, tag, and HEAD
.git/logs/refs/heads/main
2028ee0 c1f9a4c
Julia Evans <x@y.com>
1683751582
commit: no ligatures in code
each line of the reflog has: - before/after commit IDs - user + - timestamp - log message
remote-tracking branches
remote-tracking branches store the most recently seen commit ID for a remote branch
.git/refs/remotes/origin/main
a9bbcae
when git status says “you’re up to date with origin/main”, it’s just looking at this
.git/config
.git/config is a config file for the repository. it’s where you configure your remotes
.git/config
[remote "origin"]
url = git@github.com: jvns/int-exposed
fetch = +refs/heads/*: refs/remotes/origin/*
[branch "main"]
remote = origin
merge refs/heads/main](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:nzrozayxq764zbgl4qtp5ald/bafkreifj5csfxieqnqca7dbh34niluf56vsfwcy42jj7ukz7cayo67zxi4)
