Welcome to Dan’s brain

The contents of my head are not useful if they stay in there, so I have copy-pasted the main good bits onto the internet, right here. Here you can find everything on the site, a higgledy heap of half-finished notebooks and polished essays. Themes: whatever shiny thing distracted me into taking notes, including but not limited to,

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Why is Australian internet shit?

computers are awful together
data sets
straya
2021-08-10 — 2024-10-04

Decision theory

algebra
Bayes
decision theory
functional analysis
Hilbert space
how do science
linear algebra
machine learning
model selection
nonparametric
statistics
uncertainty
2014-08-23 — 2024-10-04

Epistemic bottlenecks

adaptive
agents
bounded compute
classification
collective knowledge
communicating
distributed
economics
evolution
how do science
incentive mechanisms
information
institutions
language
learning
mind
networks
social graph
sociology
standards
stringology
virality
2021-08-24 — 2024-10-04

Australian governance

#auspol
confidentiality
straya
wonk
2024-04-08 — 2024-10-04

Quarto integrated website system

Academic blog publishing that is easy on me, albeit hard on my computer
academe
faster pussycat
how do science
javascript
julia
language
making things
plain text
premature optimization
python
R
writing
2023-12-01 — 2024-10-04

Public goods

Rival and excludable goods, you need to know what these are
economics
faster pussycat
game theory
incentive mechanisms
institutions
networks
2010-09-22 — 2024-10-04

Generative AI workflows and hacks 2024

economics
faster pussycat
innovation
language
machine learning
neural nets
NLP
stringology
technology
UI
2024-03-23 — 2024-10-04

Bayes neural nets via subsetting weights

Bayes
convolution
density
likelihood free
machine learning
neural nets
nonparametric
sparser than thou
uncertainty
2022-01-12 — 2024-10-03

Generative art with language+diffusion models

buzzword
computers are awful
generative art
machine learning
making things
music
neural nets
photon choreography
2022-09-16 — 2024-10-02

VS Code for python

An acceptable python IDE for very low cost
computers are awful
faster pussycat
plain text
python
UI
workflow
2021-08-10 — 2024-10-02

Reproducible research

Open notebooks etc
academe
collective knowledge
how do science
information provenance
workflow
2016-06-07 — 2024-10-01

(Geo)spatial data sets

In which I complain about paying a nominal fee for giant rocket robots that scan the earth from space
computers are awful
data sets
spatial
statistics
2021-03-02 — 2024-10-01

Let’s solve social event organising

cooperation
culture
social graph
confidentiality
diy
standards
2024-10-01 — 2024-10-01

Community

Engineering, maintaining, organizing…
cooperation
culture
democracy
economics
institutions
insurgency
rhetoric
social graph
wonk
2020-02-02 — 2024-10-01

Money, Australian-style

diy
economics
money
utility
2019-03-14 — 2024-09-29

Free will

Let’s conflate stochastic dynamics with stochastic control
boring
how do science
mind
snarks
2012-03-16 — 2024-09-29

Python cluster computing

Parallel computing, wherein a head process spawns workers executing some python function
computers are awful
concurrency hell
distributed
number crunching
premature optimization
workflow
2016-08-23 — 2024-09-28

Asynchronous Python

It can’t be premature optimisation if it took 20 years to start
computers are awful
concurrency hell
python
2018-03-24 — 2024-09-28

VS Code as LaTeX editor

computers are awful
faster pussycat
LaTeX
plain text
typography
UI
workflow
2019-11-11 — 2024-09-27

Gibbs posteriors

Bayes-like inference without probability models
Bayes
estimator distribution
functional analysis
Markov processes
Monte Carlo
neural nets
optimization
probabilistic algorithms
probability
SDEs
stochastic processes
2024-09-26 — 2024-09-26

Code generation, programming assistants

faster pussycat
language
machine learning
making things
neural nets
NLP
real time
signal processing
stringology
time series
UI
2021-10-14 — 2024-09-25

Project management

With special attention to speculative and innovative projects
communicating
distributed
economics
faster pussycat
game theory
incentive mechanisms
innovation
institutions
mind
networks
2021-03-23 — 2024-09-25

Incoming links and notes

2020-03-05 — 2024-09-25

Moloch, slack and hyperselection

Weak selection versus goodharting, 内卷, involution
cooperation
economics
ethics
utility
wonk
2021-12-25 — 2024-09-25

Who I donate to

Expensive virtue signalling
democracy
insurgency
money
wonk
2019-08-21 — 2024-09-24

ssh

a.k.a. “Secure shell”, which is not actually a shell but an encrypted network protocol that people like to shell with
computers are awful
computers are awful together
confidentiality
encryption
2014-12-28 — 2024-09-24

Terminals

More realistically, terminal emulators, because anyone who owns an actual working VT102 these days is not using it to do work
computers are awful
faster pussycat
plain text
POSIX
2018-10-11 — 2024-09-24

Python packaging, dependency management and isolation

“import antigravity” raises an exception if you want CUDA antigravity
computers are awful
python
standards
2011-04-18 — 2024-09-23

Spherical coordinates

algebra
functional analysis
geometry
high d
linear algebra
measure
probability
signal processing
sparser than thou
spheres
2021-01-29 — 2024-09-23

Predictive coding

Should a model that our brains do Bayesian variational prediction update any priors about our brains?
energy
learning
mind
neuron
probability
statistics
statmech
2011-11-27 — 2024-09-23

VS Code online and networked

computers are awful together
faster pussycat
plain text
UI
workflow
2018-01-25 — 2024-09-23

Artificial life

adaptive
agents
evolution
gene
grammar
incentive mechanisms
learning
life
neuron
probabilistic algorithms
stringology
swarm
time series
2011-12-13 — 2024-09-22

Symbolic system identification

compsci
dynamical systems
machine learning
neural nets
optimization
physics
probabilistic algorithms
sciml
statistics
statmech
stochastic processes
stringology
2023-03-14 — 2024-09-22

Rhetoric

Argumentation, descriptive and prescriptive
adversarial
bounded compute
communicating
cooperation
culture
mind
wonk
2017-06-07 — 2024-09-18

Gradient steps to an ecology of mind

Regularised survival of the fittest
adaptive
collective knowledge
cooperation
culture
economics
energy
evolution
extended self
game theory
gene
incentive mechanisms
learning
mind
networks
probability
social graph
sociology
statistics
statmech
utility
wonk
2011-11-27 — 2024-09-17

Modern conspiracy theorising

Someone paid me to write this
confidentiality
democracy
economics
evolution
game theory
insurgency
networks
P2P
wonk
2020-08-16 — 2024-09-17

Rituals and beliefs that bind

agents
collective knowledge
cooperation
culture
democracy
distributed
economics
extended self
game theory
incentive mechanisms
institutions
insurgency
mind
networks
policy
rhetoric
social graph
sociology
squad
wonk
2021-05-01 — 2024-09-17

Ecological stability

The explosive growth and collapse of May’s paradox
branching
crisis
networks
probability
SDEs
statistics
stochastic processes
time series
virality
2012-08-30 — 2024-09-16

Audio synthesis in python

Sometimes it is the right time to use the wrong tool for the job
computers are awful
generative art
music
UI
2018-03-25 — 2024-09-16

The softmax function

classification
metrics
probability
regression
statistics
2024-09-13 — 2024-09-16

Health and chemistry

Pollution, ambient poisons and other things it turns out I cannot rely upon the state to protect me from
fit
health
mind
2021-04-14 — 2024-09-15

Classification

Computer says no
classification
metrics
statistics
2017-02-20 — 2024-09-13

The Score Function Estimator

a.k.a. REINFORCE; a gradient estimator for expectations
Bayes
calculus
density
estimator distribution
Monte Carlo
probabilistic algorithms
probability
risk
uncertainty
2024-09-13 — 2024-09-13

Posterior Gaussian process samples by updating prior samples

Matheron’s other weird trick
functional analysis
Gaussian
generative
Hilbert space
kernel tricks
regression
spatial
stochastic processes
time series
2020-12-03 — 2024-09-12

Melbourne/Naarm

Australia’s culture sweatshop
diy
place
policy
straya
wonk
2021-10-18 — 2024-09-11

Pytorch

#torched
computers are awful
neural nets
optimization
premature optimization
python
statistics
2018-05-04 — 2024-09-10

Mathematica

algebra
compsci
computers are awful
stringology
2011-04-06 — 2024-09-09

Gradient flows, sometimes stochastic

Infinitesimal optimization, SDEs and generalisation
Bayes
estimator distribution
functional analysis
Markov processes
Monte Carlo
neural nets
optimization
probabilistic algorithms
probability
SDEs
stochastic processes
2020-01-30 — 2024-09-09

Digital scientific workbooks

Literate coding for reality
academe
computers are awful
faster pussycat
how do science
information provenance
plain text
premature optimization
UI
workflow
2014-11-18 — 2024-09-09

Coarse graining

Also, fluctuation theorems
algebra
Bayes
machine learning
networks
physics
sciml
snarks
statmech
surrogate
2014-11-12 — 2024-09-09

Free content

Raiding history for clip art
content
making things
photon choreography
2014-08-31 — 2024-09-09

Probabilistic numerics

Bayes
calculus
compsci
dynamical systems
geometry
Hilbert space
how do science
machine learning
physics
regression
sciml
SDEs
signal processing
statistics
statmech
stochastic processes
surrogate
time series
uncertainty
2023-07-13 — 2024-09-09

Calendars and contacts GUIs for Linux

computers are awful
computers are awful together
diy
faster pussycat
office
POSIX
standards
UI
2015-06-25 — 2024-09-05

Implementing neural nets

computers are awful
machine learning
neural nets
optimization
2016-10-14 — 2024-09-05

Langevin dynamcs MCMC

Bayes
estimator distribution
functional analysis
Markov processes
Monte Carlo
neural nets
optimization
probabilistic algorithms
probability
SDEs
stochastic processes
2020-08-17 — 2024-09-05

Langevin dynamcs MCMC

Bayes
estimator distribution
functional analysis
Markov processes
Monte Carlo
optimization
probabilistic algorithms
probability
quantum
SDEs
stochastic processes
2020-08-17 — 2024-09-05

pandoc

An itemised list of the esoteric difficulties involved in bullet points
academe
computers are awful
faster pussycat
lua
plain text
UI
workflow
2019-07-17 — 2024-09-05

Meditation and enlightenment

Fundamental well-being, nondual medidation, non-symbolic experience, samadhi, socially-approved zoning out, YOL∞
faster pussycat
health
learning
mind
utility
2016-01-05 — 2024-09-05

Functional reactive programming

Especially for user interfaces
computers are awful
concurrency hell
premature optimization
signal processing
stringology
UI
2016-10-31 — 2024-09-05

Quarto

Swiss army knife for hand-whittling scientific reports, slides and blogs
academe
faster pussycat
how do science
javascript
julia
language
making things
plain text
premature optimization
python
R
writing
2022-05-01 — 2024-09-05

Editing images with machine learning

computers are awful
generative art
making things
photon choreography
2018-10-16 — 2024-09-02

Python CLIs

Putting the “argument” in “command-line argument”
computers are awful
python
2021-07-02 — 2024-09-02

Neural PDE operator learning

Especially forward operators. Image-to-image regression, where the images encode a physical process.
calculus
dynamical systems
geometry
Hilbert space
how do science
Lévy processes
machine learning
neural nets
PDEs
physics
regression
sciml
SDEs
signal processing
statistics
statmech
stochastic processes
surrogate
time series
uncertainty
2019-10-15 — 2024-08-31

Neural vector embeddings

Hyperdimensional Computing, Vector Symbolic Architectures, Holographic Reduced Representations
approximation
feature construction
geometry
high d
language
linear algebra
machine learning
metrics
neural nets
NLP
2017-12-20 — 2024-08-29

Model explanation with sparse autoencoders

Monosemanticity, sparsity and foundation models
adversarial
classification
communicating
feature construction
game theory
high d
language
machine learning
metrics
mind
NLP
sparser than thou
2024-08-29 — 2024-08-29

Bayesian and causal inference by foundation models

approximation
Bayes
generative
language
machine learning
meta learning
Monte Carlo
neural nets
NLP
optimization
probabilistic algorithms
probability
statistics
stringology
time series
2024-08-29 — 2024-08-29

VS Code / VS Codium

Egg-laying wool milk code editor
computers are awful
faster pussycat
plain text
UI
workflow
2018-01-25 — 2024-08-28

Model mixing, model averaging for regression

Switching regression, mixture of experts
Bayes
classification
clustering
compsci
convolution
density
information
linear algebra
nonparametric
probability
sparser than thou
statistics
2016-03-29 — 2024-08-27

Audiobooks

Long form podcasts
content
making things
music
signal processing
2014-11-12 — 2024-08-26

Home networks for lazy dummies

computers are awful together
confidentiality
cryptography
diy
2020-08-16 — 2024-08-24

Data summarization

On maps drawn at smaller than 1:1 scale
approximation
estimator distribution
functional analysis
information
linear algebra
model selection
optimization
probabilistic algorithms
probability
signal processing
sparser than thou
statistics
2019-01-14 — 2024-08-22

Probabilistic programming

Doing statistics using the tools of computer science
Bayes
generative
how do science
Monte Carlo
statistics
2019-10-02 — 2024-08-21

Perception and evolution

How much of reality is it worth it for us to see? _Umwelt_, etc. Biological phenomenology.
adaptive
classification
collective knowledge
communicating
cooperation
culture
economics
energy
evolution
extended self
feature construction
gene
incentive mechanisms
language
learning
machine learning
metrics
mind
NLP
probability
statistics
statmech
utility
2024-08-19 — 2024-08-19

Attention management tips for web browsing

bounded compute
computers are awful
computers are awful together
faster pussycat
incentive mechanisms
mind
standards
UI
2017-04-20 — 2024-08-17

Privacy while web browsing

Browsing the internet without giving corporations my personal information for free
computers are awful
computers are awful together
confidentiality
2018-12-12 — 2024-08-17

Simulating climate

calculus
climate
dynamical systems
geometry
how do science
machine learning
neural nets
PDEs
physics
regression
sciml
SDEs
signal processing
statistics
statmech
stochastic processes
surrogate
time series
uncertainty
wonk
2020-04-02 — 2024-08-13

Atmospheric modeling

calculus
climate
dynamical systems
geometry
Hilbert space
how do science
machine learning
neural nets
PDEs
physics
regression
sciml
SDEs
signal processing
statistics
statmech
stochastic processes
surrogate
time series
uncertainty
wonk
2024-08-13 — 2024-08-13

Vector databases

approximation
feature construction
geometry
high d
language
linear algebra
machine learning
metrics
neural nets
NLP
2024-08-13 — 2024-08-13

Oceanography

Gaussian
Hilbert space
kernel tricks
spatial
statistics
stochastic processes
time series
2024-08-13 — 2024-08-13

Kernel spaces arising from solutions to physical equations

functional analysis
Gaussian
generative
Hilbert space
kernel tricks
regression
spatial
stochastic processes
time series
2023-08-12 — 2024-08-12

Reconciliation of overlapping Gaussian processes

Combining Gaussian processes on the same domain; consistency; coherence; generalized phase retrieval
functional analysis
Gaussian
generative
Hilbert space
kernel tricks
nonparametric
regression
spatial
stochastic processes
time series
2024-08-12 — 2024-08-12

Zotero

The adequate citation tool
academe
collective knowledge
computers are awful
faster pussycat
how do science
workflow
2019-12-01 — 2024-08-09

Weighted data, weighted likelihoods in statistics

estimator distribution
functional analysis
linear algebra
model selection
probability
signal processing
sparser than thou
statistics
uncertainty
2020-11-04 — 2024-08-07

Gamma distributions

Lévy processes
probability
stochastic processes
time series
2019-10-14 — 2024-07-29

Monte Carlo gradient estimation

Bayes
calculus
density
estimator distribution
Monte Carlo
probabilistic algorithms
probability
risk
uncertainty
2020-09-30 — 2024-07-26

Conjugate priors

functional analysis
probability
statistics
2024-06-26 — 2024-07-23

Indyweb, small web, cozy web

communicating
computers are awful together
diy
doing internet
2020-03-05 — 2024-07-22

LaTeX mathematics hacks

computers are awful
faster pussycat
LaTeX
plain text
typography
UI
workflow
2014-09-08 — 2024-07-18

Data sets

Questions for answers looking for questions
computers are awful
data sets
statistics
2015-06-27 — 2024-07-15

Temporal generative adversarial networks

adversarial
AI
Bregman
game theory
generative
learning
likelihood free
Monte Carlo
optimization
probability
2024-07-11 — 2024-07-11

Functional stochastic differential equations

SDEs taking values in some function space
Banach space
Hilbert space
dynamical systems
Lévy processes
probability
SDEs
signal processing
spatial
stochastic processes
time series
2024-07-10 — 2024-07-10

Science; Institution design for

“Scientist, falsify thyself”. Peer review, academic incentives, credentials, evidence and funding
academe
agents
collective knowledge
economics
faster pussycat
game theory
how do science
incentive mechanisms
information provenance
institutions
mind
networks
sociology
wonk
2020-05-17 — 2024-07-10

Soft incentive mechanism design

Markets, cakes, karma, and reverse game theory, applied to humans
bounded compute
economics
faster pussycat
game theory
incentive mechanisms
institutions
networks
2014-09-22 — 2024-07-09

Inverse Gaussian distribution

Lévy processes
probability
stochastic processes
time series
2024-07-08 — 2024-07-09

Ageing

Staying healthy longer
health
faster pussycat
fit
gene
mind
2022-01-11 — 2024-07-09

Historical English

history
language
2014-09-23 — 2024-07-09

Academic reading workflow

The continuing ascendancy of using piles of dead tree products for understanding cutting edge digital informatics
academe
computers are awful
faster pussycat
information provenance
learning
UI
workflow
2016-04-11 — 2024-07-08

Curved exponential families

geometry
probability
statistics
2016-04-19 — 2024-07-08

Music gear

Pragmatic digital amps and microphones
diy
hardware
making things
music
2014-08-26 — 2024-07-08

History of medicine

Quacks, Mountebanks, Big Pharma
academe
agents
collective knowledge
economics
faster pussycat
game theory
health
how do science
incentive mechanisms
information provenance
institutions
mind
networks
sociology
wonk
2024-07-06 — 2024-07-06

Timeless works of art

Aesthetics as a conditional average treatment effect
adaptive
collective knowledge
diy
making things
sociology
2015-01-13 — 2024-07-02

DIY home repair stuff

Minimum viable handydan
cooperation
culture
diy
economics
housing
making things
straya
2021-09-25 — 2024-07-02

Video editing

computers are awful
making things
music
photon choreography
standards
2020-04-23 — 2024-07-02

Exponential families

functional analysis
probability
statistics
2016-04-19 — 2024-07-01

R

The statistical programming language, not the letter
computers are awful
number crunching
R
statistics
2011-08-07 — 2024-07-01

Bayesian model selection

Bayes
machine learning
model selection
neural nets
nonparametric
sparser than thou
statistics
uncertainty
2024-06-25 — 2024-06-25

Krylov subspace iteration

Power method, pagerank etc
feature construction
functional analysis
high d
linear algebra
networks
probability
signal processing
sparser than thou
statistics
2014-08-05 — 2024-06-25

Non-stationary bandit problems

Restless bandits
bandit problems
control
decision theory
signal processing
stochastic processes
stringology
2024-05-27 — 2024-06-19

Bandit problems

Also stochastic control
bandit problems
control
decision theory
signal processing
stochastic processes
stringology
2014-11-28 — 2024-06-19

Bitter lessons in compute and cleverness

Amortizing the cost of being smart
bounded compute
functional analysis
machine learning
model selection
optimization
statmech
2021-01-14 — 2024-06-19

How to reduce corporate spying

on me, hopefully
computers are awful
computers are awful together
confidentiality
wonk
2018-12-12 — 2024-06-19

Transformer networks as recurrent or state-space models

language
machine learning
meta learning
neural nets
NLP
stringology
time series
2017-12-20 — 2024-06-17

Transformer networks for generic time series prediction

language
machine learning
meta learning
neural nets
NLP
stringology
time series
2024-06-17 — 2024-06-17

Kernel distribution embedding

Conditional mean embeddings etc
approximation
functional analysis
Hilbert space
measure
metrics
nonparametric
optimization
probability
statistics
2016-08-21 — 2024-06-17

Democratization of generative AI

agents
bounded compute
collective knowledge
concurrency hell
distributed
economics
edge computing
extended self
faster pussycat
incentive mechanisms
innovation
language
machine learning
neural nets
NLP
swarm
technology
UI
2024-06-15 — 2024-06-15

The public sphere and its business models

Free speech versus market-clearing speech
bandit problems
boring
cooperation
culture
democracy
economics
ethics
mind
rhetoric
snarks
sociology
wonk
2023-12-23 — 2024-06-15

Transformer networks

The transformer-powered subtitle for this article is “Our most terrifyingly effective weapon against the forces of evil is our ability to laugh at them.”
language
machine learning
meta learning
neural nets
NLP
stringology
time series
2017-12-20 — 2024-06-15

Niche construction

cooperation
economics
evolution
game theory
incentive mechanisms
2011-07-26 — 2024-06-14

Interpolation, extrapolation and memorisation in neural networks

algebra
graphical models
how do science
machine learning
meta learning
networks
probability
statistics
2022-01-25 — 2024-06-14

Tip me

computers are awful
cryptography
money
2016-09-06 — 2024-06-13

Normalizing flows

Invertible density models, sounding clever by using the word diffeomorphism like a real mathematician
approximation
Bayes
density
likelihood free
Monte Carlo
nonparametric
optimization
probabilistic algorithms
probability
statistics
2018-04-04 — 2024-06-13

Neural mixtures of experts

Switching regression, mixture of experts
Bayes
classification
clustering
compsci
density
ensemble
information
linear algebra
model selection
nonparametric
optimization
probability
regression
sparser than thou
statistics
2016-03-29 — 2024-06-11

Gaussian Ensemble Belief Propagation

A method which improves our ability to solve important tricky problems, such as whether your house will flood tomorrow based on what the satellite says today
approximation
Bayes
distributed
dynamical systems
ensemble
generative
graphical models
machine learning
Monte Carlo
networks
optimization
probabilistic algorithms
probability
sciml
signal processing
state space models
statistics
stochastic processes
swarm
time series
2024-04-15 — 2024-06-11

Adaptive 1st order gradient descent

I need to mention Adam and RMSProp etc somewhere
functional analysis
neural nets
optimization
SDEs
stochastic processes
2020-01-30 — 2024-06-11

Safetyism and alignment problems

economics
extended self
faster pussycat
game theory
incentive mechanisms
institutions
networks
2014-09-22 — 2024-06-09

Academic publishing

academe
collective knowledge
diy
doing internet
economics
faster pussycat
how do science
incentive mechanisms
information provenance
institutions
mind
networks
sociology
2015-07-07 — 2024-06-09

Navigating large organisations

Applied bureaucracy
communicating
distributed
economics
extended self
faster pussycat
game theory
institutions
learning
mind
networks
squad
2020-01-26 — 2024-06-07

Community governance

Coordinating human beings by collective application of social force
cooperation
culture
democracy
economics
institutions
insurgency
wonk
2020-02-02 — 2024-06-07

The Gaussian distribution

The default probability distribution
algebra
Gaussian
geometry
high d
linear algebra
measure
probability
signal processing
spheres
statistics
2016-06-27 — 2024-06-06

Uncertainty quantification

Bayes
statistics
stochastic processes
surrogate
uncertainty
2016-12-26 — 2024-06-06

Indonesia

nusantara
place
2016-03-02 — 2024-06-05

Continual learning

Also catastrophic forgetting, catatrophic interference, lifelong learning
algebra
graphical models
how do science
machine learning
networks
probability
statistics
2024-06-05 — 2024-06-05

Teamwork

communicating
distributed
economics
extended self
faster pussycat
game theory
institutions
learning
mind
networks
squad
2020-01-26 — 2024-06-05

Trading securities, hedging and portfolio design, practical

Shares, cryptocurrency, options and derivatives for babies
diy
finance
money
probability
2017-05-09 — 2024-06-04

Learning with PDE conservation laws

calculus
dynamical systems
geometry
Hilbert space
how do science
Lévy processes
machine learning
neural nets
PDEs
physics
regression
sciml
SDEs
signal processing
statistics
statmech
stochastic processes
surrogate
time series
uncertainty
2019-10-15 — 2024-06-03

Genre speciation

classification
music
semantics
2016-08-23 — 2024-06-03

Noise outsourcing

approximation
Bayes
density
likelihood free
Monte Carlo
nonparametric
optimization
probabilistic algorithms
probability
sciml
statistics
2024-06-03 — 2024-06-03

Deep sets

Invariant and equivariant functions, learning to aggregate
feature construction
functional analysis
linear algebra
machine learning
networks
neural nets
probability
sciml
sparser than thou
statistics
topology
2022-11-24 — 2024-06-03

Graphical model / machine learning decoder ring

algebra
graphical models
hidden variables
hierarchical models
how do science
machine learning
networks
neural nets
probability
statistics
2024-01-18 — 2024-06-03

Inference from disorder

compsci
dynamical systems
networks
physics
probability
pseudorandomness
statistics
statmech
stochastic processes
2016-10-19 — 2024-06-02

Adaptive design of experiments

Minesweeper++
functional analysis
how do science
model selection
optimization
statmech
surrogate
2017-04-11 — 2024-05-31

Fediverse

Mastodon et al
computers are awful together
confidentiality
distributed
diy
economics
P2P
2019-08-12 — 2024-05-30

(Kernelized) Stein variational gradient descent

KSD, SVGD, other computational Stein discrepancy methods
approximation
Bayes
functional analysis
Markov processes
measure
metrics
Monte Carlo
optimization
probabilistic algorithms
probability
statistics
2022-11-02 — 2024-05-30

Functional programming

computers are awful
concurrency hell
compsci
grammar
stringology
2016-01-05 — 2024-05-30

Probably actually reading/writing

2020-03-05 — 2024-05-30

Messenger shooting

Distinguishing bad things from bad news
adaptive
bounded compute
collective knowledge
culture
economics
ethics
evolution
extended self
incentive mechanisms
institutions
learning
mind
neuron
statistics
utility
wonk
2024-05-30 — 2024-05-30

Death

Logistics of
culture
diy
economics
ethics
gender
institutions
life
mind
networks
sex
sociology
wonk
2020-06-07 — 2024-05-30

Nested sampling

Bayes
Monte Carlo
probabilistic algorithms
probability
signal processing
state space models
statistics
swarm
time series
2022-05-16 — 2024-05-29

Doubly robust learning for causal inference

TMLE, debiassed ML, X-learners, Neyman learning, Targeted learning
algebra
graphical models
hidden variables
hierarchical models
how do science
machine learning
networks
neural nets
probability
statistics
2020-09-18 — 2024-05-27

Ensemble Kalman methods

Data Assimilation; Data fusion; Sloppy filters for over-ambitious models
Bayes
distributed
dynamical systems
ensemble
generative
graphical models
linear algebra
machine learning
Monte Carlo
optimization
probabilistic algorithms
probability
sciml
signal processing
state space models
statistics
stochastic processes
swarm
time series
2015-06-22 — 2024-05-27

Agtech/Agritech

Dotcomese for “agricultural technology”
computers are awful together
confidentiality
ecology
food
money
technology
2020-10-05 — 2024-05-27

Basa Sunda

The Sundanese Language
language
nusantara
South East Asia
Sunda
2015-11-11 — 2024-05-27

Bayesian model selection by model evidence maximisation

Type II maximum likelihood, marginal maximum likelihood, Bayes Occam’s razor, Bayes factor
Bayes
information
model selection
statistics
2017-08-20 — 2024-05-27

Jensen Gap

approximation
functional analysis
measure
metrics
probability
stochastic processes
2024-05-22 — 2024-05-22

Entropy vs information

MaxEnt(?), macrostates, subjective updating, epistemic randomness, Szilard engines, Gibbs paradox…
Bayes
dynamical systems
machine learning
neural nets
physics
pseudorandomness
sciml
statistics
statmech
stochastic processes
2010-12-02 — 2024-05-22

Configuring machine learning experiments

computers are awful
faster pussycat
how do science
information provenance
premature optimization
2021-10-20 — 2024-05-22

Big data ML best practice

Being transparent about what I put in this black box
computers are awful
machine learning
neural nets
2020-09-16 — 2024-05-22

Transforms of Gaussian noise

Delta method, error propagation, unscented transform, Taylor expansion…
approximation
Bayes
dynamical systems
Gaussian
Hilbert space
linear algebra
Lévy processes
Markov processes
networks
optimization
probability
SDEs
signal processing
state space models
statistics
stochastic processes
time series
2014-11-25 — 2024-05-22

Expectation maximisation

algebra
graphical models
hidden variables
hierarchical models
networks
optimization
probabilistic algorithms
probability
statistics
2014-08-17 — 2024-05-21

Pornography and other lewd art

Morsels of oddity from the depiction of human sexual behaviour
gender
photon choreography
sex
wonk
2020-04-22 — 2024-05-21

Quasi-gradients of discrete parameters

calculus
classification
probabilistic algorithms
optimization
probability
statistics
2022-12-20 — 2024-05-17

Superintelligence

Incorporating technological singularities, hard AI take-offs, game-over high scores, the technium, deus-ex-machina, deus-ex-nube, AI supremacy, nerd raptures and so forth
economics
faster pussycat
innovation
language
machine learning
mind
neural nets
NLP
technology
2016-12-02 — 2024-05-07

Neural network activation functions

machine learning
neural nets
2017-01-13 — 2024-05-06

Reproducibility in Machine Learning research

economics
game theory
how do science
incentive mechanisms
institutions
machine learning
neural nets
statistics
2024-05-06 — 2024-05-06

Squeaky wheel equilibria

Mismatches between vocal-ness and collective desire, NIMBYism, intolerance
collective knowledge
communicating
cooperation
culture
distributed
economics
insurgency
mind
networks
wonk
2024-05-05 — 2024-05-05

Editors for LaTeX

compsci
computers are awful
faster pussycat
LaTeX
typography
UI
2019-11-20 — 2024-05-05

Pyro

Approximate maximum in the density of probabilistic programming effort
Bayes
generative
how do science
Monte Carlo
sciml
statistics
2019-10-02 — 2024-05-03

Collectivism and individualism

communicating
cooperation
culture
economics
making things
mind
squad
wonk
2024-05-03 — 2024-05-03

Online shopping

diy
economics
hardware
making things
2014-08-26 — 2024-05-02

Goodhart’s Law

economics
game theory
incentive mechanisms
institutions
machine learning
optimization
statistics
utility
2019-12-22 — 2024-04-30

Rough path theory and signature methods

control
dynamical systems
SDEs
signal processing
sparser than thou
statistics
stochastic processes
time series
2021-04-02 — 2024-04-30

Physically-grounded computing

physics
statmech
compsci
life
machine learning
2015-02-21 — 2024-04-30

Feed readers

Automated content aggregation for an internet designed to inform you rather than distract you
academe
computers are awful together
doing internet
faster pussycat
information provenance
learning
UI
workflow
2016-06-29 — 2024-04-27

Internet search engines

Tips, tricks, confidentiality
computers are awful together
faster pussycat
information provenance
NLP
search
2021-08-02 — 2024-04-26

Jax

Julia for python
algebra
calculus
computers are awful
linear algebra
number crunching
optimization
2020-09-15 — 2024-04-23

Neural denoising diffusion models

Denoising diffusion probabilistic models (DDPMs), score-based generative models, generative diffusion processes, neural energy models…
approximation
Bayes
generative
Monte Carlo
neural nets
optimization
probabilistic algorithms
probability
statistics
2021-11-11 — 2024-04-22

Python

Syntactic saccharine for compiled code
computers are awful
python
2011-04-18 — 2024-04-22

Bureaucracy

The theory of Iron Laws and Moral Mazes
cooperation
culture
economics
game theory
institutions
rhetoric
wonk
2020-02-02 — 2024-04-20

Git tricks

computers are awful
information provenance
workflow
2015-06-26 — 2024-04-19

Attention Deficit (Hyperactivity) Disorder

gene
health
learning
mind
neuron
utility
2022-09-25 — 2024-04-18

Editing images

Chinks in my armour of learned Photoshop helplessness
computers are awful
generative art
making things
photon choreography
2018-10-16 — 2024-04-17

Editing images using a GUI

Chinks in my armour of learned Photoshop helplessness
computers are awful
generative art
making things
photon choreography
2018-10-16 — 2024-04-17

The property market is pollution

Or: hunting endangered big game in dwindling habitat. Or: Investing in Boomer Bitcoin
cooperation
culture
economics
housing
incentive mechanisms
institutions
insurgency
making things
policy
spatial
straya
wonk
2021-05-26 — 2024-04-16

Algorithmic statistics

Probably also algorithmic information theory
compsci
information
pseudorandomness
statistics
statmech
stringology
2014-07-25 — 2024-04-15

Guesstimation

Fermi calculations, calculation hacks, principled estimates, informed guesses
computers are awful
faster pussycat
number crunching
office
Monte Carlo
UI
2024-04-09 — 2024-04-15

Git GUIs

computers are awful
information provenance
UI
workflow
2019-02-08 — 2024-04-12

Syncthing

A good, easy, peer-to-peer, free Dropbox-replacement system for the modern paranoid age
computers are awful
computers are awful together
concurrency hell
distributed
diy
P2P
2019-01-03 — 2024-04-11

Optimisation

functional analysis
optimization
statmech
2014-10-04 — 2024-04-11

An orderly retreat from relevance

Red-teaming short-term human purpose
agents
bounded compute
collective knowledge
distributed
economics
edge computing
extended self
faster pussycat
incentive mechanisms
innovation
language
machine learning
mind
neural nets
NLP
technology
unsupervised
2024-03-03 — 2024-04-10

Scientific institutions and mechanisms

Descriptive and normative
adaptive
bounded compute
collective knowledge
distributed
economics
how do science
incentive mechanisms
institutions
learning
mind
networks
sociology
standards
swarm
2021-08-24 — 2024-04-08

Neural likelihood inference

Emulating likelihoods with neural networks
approximation
Bayes
feature construction
likelihood free
machine learning
measure
metrics
probability
sciml
statistics
time series
2024-04-08 — 2024-04-08

Ethical consumption

Veganisms, boycotts and other individual solutions to structural problems
economics
ethics
networks
wonk
2020-02-06 — 2024-04-07

Air pollution

For a new century in which inhaling gets only more dangerous
fashion
fit
health
2019-01-18 — 2024-04-06

South-east Asia

place
2024-04-06 — 2024-04-06

Decentralized net services

a.k.a. web3, DEX, P2P, Peer-to-peer, friend-to-friend; Internet for an untrustworthy world
computers are awful together
concurrency hell
confidentiality
distributed
diy
game theory
P2P
2017-09-18 — 2024-04-04

Bayesian posterior inference via optimisation

Conditioning by gradient
Bayes
estimator distribution
functional analysis
Markov processes
Monte Carlo
neural nets
optimization
probabilistic algorithms
probability
SDEs
stochastic processes
2020-08-17 — 2024-04-04

Sufficiently good hedonism

Trade-offs between limited time, limited cash and limited imagination, toward the most happiness
bounded compute
economics
making things
money
utility
2020-06-23 — 2024-04-04

Urbanism

Stuff about cities
buzzword
cooperation
culture
design
diy
economics
housing
incentive mechanisms
institutions
insurgency
making things
policy
spatial
straya
the rather superior sort of city
wonk
2014-12-26 — 2024-04-04

Approximate conditioning

algebra
approximation
functional analysis
graphical models
measure
metrics
networks
optimization
probability
statistics
2024-04-03 — 2024-04-03

Squared neural families

functional analysis
probability
statistics
2024-04-03 — 2024-04-03

Contemporary epidemiology of mental health

Healthy norms, trauma, contagion, psychiatrisation, prevalence inflation hypothesis
crisis
culture
economics
ethics
health
incentive mechanisms
mind
networks
rhetoric
snarks
sociology
wonk
virality
2024-04-03 — 2024-04-03

Score matching

approximation
Bayes
Bregman
generative
Monte Carlo
neural nets
optimization
probabilistic algorithms
probability
statistics
2021-11-11 — 2024-04-02

Implicit variational inference

Variational inference without densities
approximation
metrics
optimization
probabilistic algorithms
probability
statistics
2024-05-10 — 2024-03-30

Designing less toxic social media

confidentiality
democracy
distributed
diy
economics
evolution
game theory
insurgency
networks
P2P
wonk
2020-07-12 — 2024-03-28

Bayes linear methods

Some kind of approximate Bayes thing
Bayes
Gaussian
generative
Hilbert space
how do science
linear algebra
measure
Monte Carlo
statistics
2022-08-17 — 2024-03-28

Presentation tools

Slide decks, “powerpoints”, beamer lore
academe
communicating
computers are awful
faster pussycat
office
photon choreography
standards
2015-06-01 — 2024-03-27

Jupyter front end systems

UX design by underfunded committee is how I like my data science experience
faster pussycat
premature optimization
python
2017-02-09 — 2024-03-27

Research discovery

Has someone answered that question I have not worked out how to ask yet?
academe
collective knowledge
faster pussycat
how do science
institutions
mind
networks
sociology
wonk
2019-01-22 — 2024-03-26

Hardware for neural networks

Neuromorphic computing, non-von-Neumann architectures, and other ways to compute for AI
compsci
computers are awful
concurrency hell
grammar
number crunching
stringology
2023-11-16 — 2024-03-25

Variational message-passing algorithms in graphical models

Cleaving reality at the joint, then summing it at the marginal. Generalized Approximate Message Passing.
algebra
approximation
Bayes
distributed
dynamical systems
generative
graphical models
machine learning
networks
optimization
probability
signal processing
state space models
statistics
stochastic processes
swarm
time series
2014-11-25 — 2024-03-25

TikZ/PGFplots etx

communicating
computers are awful
dataviz
faster pussycat
LaTeX
photon choreography
plain text
typography
UI
workflow
2015-03-02 — 2024-03-25

Designing social movements

Synthetic biology for utopian egregores
agents
collective knowledge
cooperation
culture
democracy
distributed
economics
game theory
incentive mechanisms
institutions
insurgency
mind
networks
policy
rhetoric
social graph
sociology
swarm
wonk
2021-05-01 — 2024-03-24

Particle variational message passing

Graphical inference using empirical distribution estimates
approximation
Bayes
distributed
dynamical systems
ensemble
generative
graphical models
machine learning
Monte Carlo
networks
optimization
probabilistic algorithms
probability
sciml
signal processing
state space models
statistics
stochastic processes
swarm
time series
2014-07-25 — 2024-03-23

Unconferences

Hackfests, Open Space Technology, BarCamps, and other self-organising events for science purposes
academe
collective knowledge
how do science
information provenance
workflow
2024-03-11 — 2024-03-22

Morality and computational constraints

It is as if we knew what we were doing
economics
mind
sociology
2023-10-02 — 2024-03-20

Python debugging, profiling and testing

It only looks simple when it’s finished
computers are awful
premature optimization
python
2019-04-28 — 2024-03-20

Microstressors

Asymmetric interactions in aggregate, microinequity, microaggressions
boring
cooperation
culture
democracy
economics
ethics
language
mind
rhetoric
snarks
sociology
wonk
2020-02-01 — 2024-03-17

Superstimuli

adaptive
bounded compute
collective knowledge
cooperation
culture
economics
ethics
evolution
gene
incentive mechanisms
institutions
neuron
utility
wonk
2023-09-25 — 2024-03-14

Addiction

ethics
fit
health
learning
mind
neuron
utility
2021-05-24 — 2024-03-14

Learning curves

Minimum viable whatever, experience curve, worse is better, PC-losering, Postel chaos, Burkean engineering
culture
economics
faster pussycat
institutions
mind
networks
standards
technology
2020-02-03 — 2024-03-14

Matrix algebra

Maybe also some operator algebra
algebra
calculus
functional analysis
linear algebra
optimization
2018-07-09 — 2024-03-11

Cognitive Enhancement

The struggle to find a drug that makes you so fast that you save more time by taking it than you lost by researching it
drugs
faster pussycat
health
2017-08-07 — 2024-03-11

Economics of large language models

Practicalities of competition between ordinary schlubs, and machines which can tirelessly pastiche all of history’s greatest geniuses at once
agents
bounded compute
collective knowledge
concurrency hell
distributed
economics
edge computing
extended self
faster pussycat
incentive mechanisms
innovation
language
machine learning
neural nets
NLP
swarm
technology
UI
2023-03-23 — 2024-03-08

Causal inference in highly parameterized ML

algebra
graphical models
hidden variables
hierarchical models
how do science
machine learning
networks
neural nets
probability
statistics
2020-09-18 — 2024-03-07

Stein’s method

His eyes are like angels but his heart is cold / No need to ask / He’s a Stein operator
approximation
functional analysis
measure
metrics
model selection
optimization
probability
spheres
statistics
2021-03-12 — 2024-03-07

Recurrent / convolutional / state-space

Translating between means of approximating time series dynamics
Bayes
convolution
dynamical systems
functional analysis
linear algebra
machine learning
making things
music
networks
neural nets
nonparametric
probability
signal processing
sparser than thou
state space models
statistics
time series
2016-04-05 — 2024-03-05

Differentiable learning of automata

compsci
machine learning
making things
neural nets
2016-10-14 — 2024-03-05

Dynamic causality

algebra
graphical models
how do science
machine learning
networks
neural nets
probability
statistics
2024-03-05 — 2024-03-05

Cryptographic tokens, distributed ledgers, and blockchain-like-things

When all you have is a hasher…
computers are awful
confidentiality
distributed
game theory
incentive mechanisms
money
2016-10-15 — 2024-03-05

Which are your 100 bytes?

Collective knowledge as training data
economics
faster pussycat
innovation
language
machine learning
mind
neural nets
NLP
technology
UI
2024-03-03 — 2024-03-03

Simulation-based inference

If I knew the right inputs to the simulator, could I get behaviour which matched my observations?
approximation
Bayes
feature construction
likelihood free
machine learning
measure
metrics
probability
sciml
statistics
time series
2014-12-24 — 2024-03-03

Comment systems for static websites

Minimum viable interaction for the web
computers are awful together
diy
doing internet
faster pussycat
plain text
UI
workflow
2019-12-30 — 2024-03-03

Let’s try substack

academe
faster pussycat
how do science
plain text
workflow
writing
2024-03-03 — 2024-03-03

China

place
china
2021-09-16 — 2024-03-03

Email blogs and newsletters

academe
faster pussycat
how do science
plain text
workflow
writing
2014-12-30 — 2024-03-03

Dan’s projects

2009-03-05 — 2024-03-03

Maximum Mean Discrepancy, Hilbert-Schmidt Independence Criterion

approximation
functional analysis
Hilbert space
measure
metrics
nonparametric
optimization
probability
statistics
2016-08-21 — 2024-03-01

Scalable vector graphics

“SVG” to its friends
computers are awful
faster pussycat
photon choreography
2019-12-23 — 2024-03-01

Procedurally generated diagrams

Of the kind I need, a practical guide to the creation thereof
communicating
computers are awful
dataviz
faster pussycat
photon choreography
plain text
typography
UI
workflow
2015-03-02 — 2024-02-29

The robot regency

How long is it safe to have our learning left unsupervised?
agents
bounded compute
collective knowledge
distributed
economics
edge computing
extended self
faster pussycat
incentive mechanisms
innovation
language
machine learning
mind
neural nets
NLP
technology
unsupervised
2024-02-28 — 2024-02-28

Money

diy
economics
money
utility
2019-03-14 — 2024-02-28

Nostr

Social media for the stroppy
computers are awful together
confidentiality
distributed
diy
economics
P2P
2023-08-08 — 2024-02-28

Factor graphs

algebra
graphical models
machine learning
networks
probability
statistics
2019-12-16 — 2024-02-27

Algorithmic mechanism design

Designing markets and games to achieve what we collectively want from what we individually want
economics
faster pussycat
game theory
incentive mechanisms
institutions
networks
2014-09-22 — 2024-02-27

Institutional alignment problems

Mechanism design for distributed moral wetware
cooperation
culture
economics
extended self
faster pussycat
game theory
incentive mechanisms
institutions
networks
swarm
wonk
2024-02-27 — 2024-02-27

Morphogenesis

agents
compsci
distributed
extended self
game theory
generative art
hidden variables
incentive mechanisms
life
photon choreography
self similar
spatial
statmech
swarm
2011-01-19 — 2024-02-27

Cooperation in evolutionary context

‘Cui bono’ for selfishness
adaptive
cooperation
culture
economics
evolution
gene
incentive mechanisms
wonk
2020-04-27 — 2024-02-25

Conflict theorist models of coordination

Never ascribe to incompetence that which is adequately explained by malice, if you want click-throughs
adaptive
bounded compute
cooperation
culture
economics
evolution
game theory
incentive mechanisms
networks
wonk
2022-07-20 — 2024-02-25

Dunning-Kruger theory of mind

On anthropomorphising humans
bounded compute
cooperation
culture
how do science
incentive mechanisms
learning
mind
snarks
wonk
2020-06-18 — 2024-02-24

Intimate question systems

Conversation starters, truth-or-dare
adaptive
bounded compute
cooperation
culture
ethics
evolution
extended self
gene
institutions
learning
mind
wonk
2022-01-24 — 2024-02-24

Microjoys

Gratitude lists, morale boosts
bounded compute
economics
faster pussycat
incentive mechanisms
mind
utility
2024-02-24 — 2024-02-24

Won’t somebody think of the children?

The bottom rung of the status ladder
cooperation
culture
economics
ethics
evolution
incentive mechanisms
mind
social graph
utility
wonk
2024-02-05 — 2024-02-24

Battlers

Those who get the rough end of the pineapple, nanny states, paternalism, luxury beliefs, class wars
cooperation
culture
economics
ethics
evolution
incentive mechanisms
mind
social graph
utility
wonk
2024-02-05 — 2024-02-24

Terminal session management and multiplexing

computers are awful
faster pussycat
plain text
POSIX
2020-06-11 — 2024-02-22

Reality gap

The difference between the real world and the simulations we use to model it
approximation
Bayes
feature construction
likelihood free
machine learning
measure
metrics
probability
sciml
statistics
time series
2024-02-21 — 2024-02-21

submitit

A less horrible way to parallelize on HPC clusters
computers are awful
computers are awful together
concurrency hell
distributed
premature optimization
2018-03-09 — 2024-02-14

Social organisation of knowledge

Descriptive and normative
adaptive
agents
bounded compute
collective knowledge
distributed
economics
game theory
how do science
incentive mechanisms
institutions
learning
mind
networks
sociology
squad
standards
swarm
2021-08-24 — 2024-02-10

Drugs, prescribed

chemistry
health
mind
neuron
2017-08-07 — 2024-02-09

The money laundry

Paypal for the 1%
computers are awful together
confidentiality
cooperation
cryptography
economics
hand wringing
money
wonk
2020-05-13 — 2024-02-07

Australia in data

data sets
place
straya
2020-01-25 — 2024-02-07

Typst

academe
faster pussycat
how do science
plain text
workflow
2024-02-07 — 2024-02-07

Innovation

Side order of progress studies now I guess
economics
innovation
intellectual property
making things
policy
sociology
spatial
technology
the rather superior sort of city
2014-07-27 — 2024-02-06

Status

The original karma system
cooperation
culture
economics
evolution
incentive mechanisms
mind
social graph
utility
wonk
2019-10-25 — 2024-02-05

Tensorboard

computers are awful
faster pussycat
how do science
information provenance
premature optimization
2020-10-23 — 2024-02-02

Tracking experiments in data science

computers are awful
faster pussycat
how do science
information provenance
premature optimization
2020-10-23 — 2024-02-02

LaTeX

…and ΤeΧ, and ConTeXt and XeTeX and TeXleMeElmo
computers are awful
faster pussycat
LaTeX
plain text
typography
UI
workflow
2014-09-08 — 2024-01-29

Ethnomusicology

culture
information provenance
making things
music
2015-04-02 — 2024-01-26

Symbols and the public sphere

Sovereign citizens, LARPing insurgency, institution building, symbolic capitalism
cooperation
culture
democracy
distributed
economics
game theory
language
making things
mind
networks
rhetoric
semantics
sociology
virality
wonk
2022-02-20 — 2024-01-26

Linear algebra

If the thing is twice as big, the transformed version of the thing is also twice as big. {End}
algebra
functional analysis
Hilbert space
linear algebra
2011-04-06 — 2024-01-26

Nearly-low-rank Hermitian matrices

a.k.a. perturbations of the identity, low-rank-plus-diagonal matrices
feature construction
functional analysis
high d
linear algebra
networks
probability
signal processing
sparser than thou
statistics
2014-08-05 — 2024-01-25

The simplest thing

Minimum viable whatever, worse is better, PC-losering, Postel chaos, Burkean engineering, maintenance externalities, DX vs UX
culture
economics
faster pussycat
institutions
mind
networks
standards
2020-02-03 — 2024-01-23

Mass power generation, engineering and use

On the magical, terrible requisites of keeping the lights on
ecology
economics
physics
snarks
spatial
statmech
technology
2021-05-04 — 2024-01-23

DIY social networks and groupware

V. cypherpunk! much 733+!
computers are awful together
confidentiality
distributed
diy
economics
P2P
2019-08-12 — 2024-01-23

Hyperparameter optimization

Replacing a hyperparameter problem with a hyperhyperparameter problem, which feels like progress
functional analysis
how do science
model selection
optimization
2020-09-25 — 2024-01-22

Static websites

Websites that are just files on a server, which is all I need
computers are awful together
diy
doing internet
faster pussycat
plain text
UI
workflow
2014-12-30 — 2024-01-19

Single-site web browsers

Websites as apps
computers are awful
computers are awful together
confidentiality
UI
2018-12-12 — 2024-01-19

Web browser hacks

Castor oil for your webs—ts
computers are awful
computers are awful together
faster pussycat
standards
UI
2017-04-20 — 2024-01-19

Structural programs are hard, let’s do training programs

“The least you can do” is the minimum unviable product
communicating
cooperation
culture
economics
mind
wonk
2024-01-19 — 2024-01-19

Offline email syncing

with bonus email wrangling
communicating
computers are awful
computers are awful together
concurrency hell
confidentiality
distributed
diy
encryption
faster pussycat
office
P2P
plain text
POSIX
2020-12-30 — 2024-01-18

Python, compilation and acceleration of

compsci
computers are awful
premature optimization
python
2019-10-15 — 2024-01-16

Gradient descent, Newton-like

functional analysis
neural nets
optimization
2019-02-05 — 2024-01-15

Indonesian music

music
nusantara
South East Asia
2016-03-30 — 2024-01-15

Hugo

Lightweight static site utility which is as fast and elegant as it is stubborn
academe
faster pussycat
how do science
plain text
workflow
2020-08-26 — 2024-01-13

Fashion

Theory and practice of hip garments
diy
economics
fashion
making things
sustainability
wonk
2020-07-10 — 2024-01-12

Javascript user interfaces

computers are awful
javascript
UI
2014-11-11 — 2024-01-11

Transferring money

computers are awful together
confidentiality
cryptography
money
2016-09-06 — 2024-01-11

Data cleaning

90% of statistics
information provenance
statistics
2020-01-22 — 2024-01-11

Life extension, mechanics of

We are probably not going to optimize ourselves out of mortality, but it feels good to try nonetheless
causality
faster pussycat
fit
gene
how do science
2022-01-11 — 2024-01-10

Switching to netlify

communicating
computers are awful together
diy
doing internet
faster pussycat
plain text
UI
workflow
2023-12-24 — 2024-01-09

Worker- and founder-owned ventures

economics
ethics
incentive mechanisms
institutions
markets
money
2015-02-16 — 2024-01-08

Metis and .*-rationality

High modernism, spontaneous order, legibility, the Great Society, technocracy, local knowledge
classification
collective knowledge
culture
ethics
how do science
mind
wonk
2017-07-24 — 2024-01-05

Iterated and evolutionary game theory

agents
bounded compute
cooperation
economics
evolution
game theory
incentive mechanisms
mind
2016-10-13 — 2024-01-05

Recursive identification

Learning forward dynamics by looking at time series a bit at a time
Bayes
dynamical systems
linear algebra
probability
signal processing
state space models
statistics
time series
2017-09-15 — 2024-01-03

Economic inequality

Return to capital versus return to labour versus return to state of nature
cooperation
economics
hand wringing
wonk
2014-10-29 — 2024-01-02

Travel hacks

esp for technomads
faster pussycat
money
travel
2019-05-18 — 2024-01-02

Internet for the marginally online

computers are awful
computers are awful together
diy
2015-10-20 — 2023-12-29

All we need is hate

ScapeGOAT
cooperation
culture
economics
ethics
evolution
incentive mechanisms
mind
social graph
wonk
2021-12-25 — 2023-12-28

Quantified self

Instrumentation and analytics for body and soul. Punk DIY precision medicine.
causality
economics
faster pussycat
fit
gene
graphical models
how do science
machine learning
mind
probability
statistics
2022-01-11 — 2023-12-26

Stochastic Taylor expansion

Polynomial approximations of small randomnesses, Itô’s lemma
dynamical systems
Lévy processes
probability
SDEs
signal processing
stochastic processes
time series
2020-10-15 — 2023-12-24

Narrative

culture
making things
mind
rhetoric
sociology
wonk
writing
2019-10-27 — 2023-12-23

Symbolic regression

compsci
dynamical systems
machine learning
neural nets
optimization
physics
probabilistic algorithms
sciml
statistics
statmech
stochastic processes
stringology
2023-03-14 — 2023-12-23

Extraversion

Also, extroversion
gene
mind
statistics
2022-01-26 — 2023-12-22

Model interpretation and explanation

Colorizing black boxes
adversarial
game theory
hierarchical models
machine learning
sparser than thou
2016-09-01 — 2023-12-22

Neural codecs and compression algorithms

Neural bandwidth reduction
compsci
computers are awful
information
metrics
music
photon choreography
standards
2020-04-23 — 2023-12-20

Music software

making things
music
signal processing
2014-11-12 — 2023-12-17

Software audio routers

Patch cables for the cable-averse
making things
music
signal processing
2017-06-03 — 2023-12-15

Fandoms

adaptive
collective knowledge
economics
evolution
game theory
networks
social graph
sociology
writing
2018-12-18 — 2023-12-15

Audio sample libraries

data sets
diy
music
2015-09-17 — 2023-12-13

Travel checklist

faster pussycat
money
travel
2023-12-12 — 2023-12-12

Hallucinations

health
mind
2017-08-07 — 2023-12-08

Microsoft Windows for the avoidant

computers are awful
MS Windows
2017-02-11 — 2023-12-08

Audio/music corpora

Smells like Team Audioset
content
data sets
machine listening
music
statistics
time series
2014-08-08 — 2023-12-06

Generative music with language+diffusion models

buzzword
computers are awful
generative art
machine learning
making things
music
neural nets
2022-09-16 — 2023-12-06

Science communication of ML research

PR for the robots
academe
communicating
faster pussycat
learning
mind
statistics
2023-12-05 — 2023-12-05

Voice transcriptions and speech recognition

faster pussycat
language
machine learning
NLP
real time
signal processing
stringology
time series
UI
writing
2019-01-08 — 2023-12-05

Effective altruism

First world trolley problems
cooperation
economics
ethics
game theory
hand wringing
2017-06-06 — 2023-12-05

Moral wetware

What ethical operating systems can be executed on our neurosocial substrate?
adaptive
bounded compute
collective knowledge
cooperation
culture
economics
ethics
evolution
extended self
gene
incentive mechanisms
institutions
neuron
utility
wonk
2020-04-27 — 2023-12-05

Natural language processing software

Dave, although you took very thorough precautions in the pod against my hearing you, I could see your lips move.
grammar
language
machine learning
NLP
stringology
2018-01-11 — 2023-12-03

Computational Fluid Dynamics

algebra
functional analysis
linear algebra
PDEs
2021-01-27 — 2023-11-30

System identification in continuous time

Learning in continuous ODEs, SDEs and CDEs
calculus
dynamical systems
Hilbert space
Lévy processes
machine learning
neural nets
regression
sciml
SDEs
signal processing
sparser than thou
statistics
stochastic processes
time series
2016-08-01 — 2023-11-30

Python caches

The fastest code is the code you don’t run
computers are awful
python
2018-07-02 — 2023-11-30

Learning graphical models from time series

Also, causal discovery, structure discovery in time series
algebra
graphical models
machine learning
networks
probability
statistics
2017-09-20 — 2023-11-28

Neural process regression

functional analysis
Gaussian
generative
Hilbert space
kernel tricks
meta learning
nonparametric
regression
spatial
stochastic processes
time series
2019-12-03 — 2023-11-28

Data storage formats

computers are awful
data sets
standards
2020-06-17 — 2023-11-27

Learning from ranking, learning to predict ranking

Learning preferences, ordinal regressions etc
kernel tricks
ordinal
regression
risk
2020-09-16 — 2023-11-22

Visualising data

Philosophy and psychology of good plots
communicating
computers are awful
faster pussycat
generative art
making things
photon choreography
2016-07-04 — 2023-11-21

Multi fidelity models

Data-driven multi-scale sampling, multi-resolution, super-resolution
Bayes
machine learning
physics
sciml
statmech
surrogate
2020-08-24 — 2023-11-20

Science communication

On making people feel they are smart enough to teach themselves, or failing that, that they are smart enough to fund YOU to teach yourself
academe
communicating
faster pussycat
learning
mind
statistics
writing
2021-06-02 — 2023-11-20

Australian authoritarianism

Beneath the beach, the barbed wire
confidentiality
straya
wonk
2019-08-20 — 2023-11-18

Machine learning for partial differential equations

calculus
dynamical systems
geometry
Hilbert space
how do science
Lévy processes
machine learning
neural nets
PDEs
physics
regression
sciml
SDEs
signal processing
statistics
statmech
stochastic processes
surrogate
time series
uncertainty
2017-05-15 — 2023-11-17

Automatic differentiation

algebra
calculus
computers are awful
functional analysis
linear algebra
number crunching
optimization
2016-07-27 — 2023-11-15

Calibration of probabilistic forecasts

Proper scoring rules, skill scores etc
model selection
regression
signal processing
statistics
stochastic processes
time series
2015-06-17 — 2023-11-15

Feedback system identification, not necessarily linear

Learning dynamics from data
calculus
dynamical systems
geometry
how do science
Lévy processes
machine learning
PDEs
physics
regression
sciml
SDEs
signal processing
statistics
statmech
stochastic processes
time series
uncertainty
2016-08-01 — 2023-11-15

Generative industrial design

buzzword
computers are awful
generative art
machine learning
making things
music
neural nets
photon choreography
2022-09-16 — 2023-11-13

Western Australia

A big state with small dreams
place
straya
wonk
2019-03-05 — 2023-11-11

Learning new languages

Mostly as an adult
faster pussycat
language
learning
mind
utility
2020-06-16 — 2023-11-11

Comfort traps

On edging life with a little friction
adaptive
incentive mechanisms
learning
mind
utility
2023-09-17 — 2023-11-09

Diagrams

Of the kind I need, a practical guide to the creation thereof
communicating
computers are awful
dataviz
faster pussycat
photon choreography
2015-03-02 — 2023-11-09

Javascript/browser vector graphics

computers are awful
faster pussycat
photon choreography
2015-11-20 — 2023-11-09

Lotekno

Also, other Sundanese music projects I have been involved in
making things
music
nusantara
South East Asia
Sunda
2015-11-05 — 2023-11-06

Playing video

Pumping bits to eyeballs
compsci
computers are awful
information
making things
metrics
music
photon choreography
standards
2020-04-23 — 2023-11-06

Big history

Cliodynamics, deep history, big-picture history
adaptive
collective knowledge
economics
evolution
game theory
networks
social graph
sociology
2018-12-18 — 2023-11-06

Quantization

Bayes
classification
clustering
compsci
feature construction
information
networks
nonparametric
probability
sparser than thou
statistics
2016-03-29 — 2023-11-02

Sexual ethics and institutions

culture
diy
economics
ethics
gender
institutions
life
mind
networks
sex
sociology
squad
wonk
2020-06-07 — 2023-10-31

Collective care and wellbeing

agents
collective knowledge
cooperation
culture
democracy
distributed
economics
extended self
game theory
incentive mechanisms
institutions
insurgency
mind
networks
social graph
sociology
wonk
2023-10-31 — 2023-10-31

Rationalists in Australia and surrounding regions

crisis
culture
ethics
history
language
mind
wonk
2023-10-30 — 2023-10-30

Groundwater hydrology, applied

Rivers, aquifers and other wet things that can flood your house
geometry