@RunRichRun@mastodon.social cover
@RunRichRun@mastodon.social avatar

RunRichRun

@[email protected]

Economist for non-profits, NGOs, governments, some private cos. Projects—public #policy, #evaluation, #innovation, #tech, job creation, #privacy, #health, #equity, #climate, #sustainability

Ex: The Economist, Bloomberg

Love #data & democracy, hate disinformation

I boost #jobs!

Free time: family, #cooking, #baking, #running, #biking, #camping, #rowing, #photography, #nature, #books, #writing, #haiku, bad #jokes, #pets—often many (≠all!) @ 1x!

Find me: https://linktr.ee/richstein #tfr #fedi22

This profile is from a federated server and may be incomplete. View on remote instance

@RunRichRun@mastodon.social avatar RunRichRun , to random
@RunRichRun@mastodon.social avatar RunRichRun , to random
@RunRichRun@mastodon.social avatar RunRichRun , to random

Cold, pretty morning. Have a good day.

Photo looking east, before sunrise, at a clearing in the woods. The scene is framed by the dark silhouettes of trees. At the center, the horizon is bathed in red-orange light. Above, the sky is beginning to turn blue.

ALT
@RunRichRun@mastodon.social avatar RunRichRun , to random

Yeesh! The "ick" factor generated by this administration is off the charts. Every single person is worse than the ones next to them. Their awful actions overshadow almost all other news. Karoline Leavitt is the shrill voice of misinformation, awfulness and insanity that they all deserve — but why do the rest of us have to suffer her endless, screeching tirades?
https://www.npr.org/2025/11/14/nx-s1-5608204/white-house-dismisses-release-of-epstein-documents-as-a-distraction-from-democrats

RunRichRun OP ,
@RunRichRun@mastodon.social avatar

Misdeeds at Fannie Mae. No surprise. Pulte's attack on / investigation into enemies of the administration is just more weaponization of every tool they have on hand to try to destroy democracy. Ethics are meaningless to all of them. https://apnews.com/article/fannie-mae-freddie-mac-firing-pulte-data-a4f8c53df74fef83ec7fd07e3d524746

@randahl@mastodon.social avatar randahl , (edited ) to random

The most thought provoking article I have read this week:

A Norwegian bus company wants to know if their buses could be abused by China in the case of war.

So they drive two buses deep into a limestone mine to isolate them from the internet and forensically investigate how they work.

In the mine, investigators discover a Chinese kill switch which could destroy all Chinese buses.

In Denmark, that is 57 percent of the bus fleet.

Source (Danish):

https://www.zetland.dk/historie/svNwC3c5-aOPVxA4K-224e5

RunRichRun ,
@RunRichRun@mastodon.social avatar
@Daojoan@mastodon.social avatar Daojoan , to random

TIRED: giving poor people $200/month for food

WIRED: giving a corporation that makes $60 billion in profit a $15 billion tax break because they promised to create 41.3 jobs in Ohio

RunRichRun ,
@RunRichRun@mastodon.social avatar

@Daojoan
Seriously? Or are you being sarcastic about the corporate giveaway? If there is one that gets a $15 billion break for such a small, hypothetical job impact, it's got to be a new record — beats Foxconned.

@randahl@mastodon.social avatar randahl , to random

Finished with paving over the rose garden and still bored with the trivial job of being president, Trump now wants to copy the Parisian Arc de Triomphe and place it opposite The Lincoln Memorial.

— While there is no money for cancer research, according to this US administration. 🤦🏻‍♂️

https://eu.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/10/15/trump-arch-ballroom-dc-whitehouse/86717480007/

RunRichRun ,
@RunRichRun@mastodon.social avatar

@randahl
"The donors at the dinner were representatives of some of America’s biggest corporations, including Lockheed Martin, Palantir, Alphabet’s Google, Meta and Amazon, a White House official told USA TODAY."

@eseubert

@thejapantimes@mastodon.social avatar thejapantimes , to random

A year after Nihon Hidankyo won the Nobel Peace Prize, one high school student remains determined to pursue the abolition of nuclear weapons. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/10/12/japan/japan-high-school-student-nuke-abolition-call/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon

RunRichRun ,
@RunRichRun@mastodon.social avatar
@joyousjoyness@mastodon.social avatar joyousjoyness , to random

Dr. Jane Goodall filmed an interview with Netflix in March 2025 with the understanding it would only be released after her death. In it, she discusses blasting Trump and Musk deep into space and shares the message, "Don't lose hope"

video/mp4

RunRichRun ,
@RunRichRun@mastodon.social avatar
@gerrymcgovern@mastodon.green avatar gerrymcgovern , to random

Patti Smith: a beautiful, wise singer

"Patti Smith's defiant and non-conformist work has always had a strong influence on Ireland's punk, rock and underground scenes."

https://www.rte.ie/brainstorm/2025/1001/1536203-patti-smith-ireland-punk-rock-poetry-influences/

RunRichRun ,
@RunRichRun@mastodon.social avatar

@gerrymcgovern
Hope you are going to see her tomorrow!

@gerrymcgovern@mastodon.green avatar gerrymcgovern , to random

US government takes equity stake in one of the world’s largest lithium mines

The US government is a criminal mob. It's a mafia.

https://www.theverge.com/news/790057/lithium-mine-us-trump-us-government-stake-thacker-pass

RunRichRun ,
@RunRichRun@mastodon.social avatar
@RunRichRun@mastodon.social avatar RunRichRun , to random

Worth noting:
A new report from the Planetary Boundaries Science Lab at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) reveals that 7 of the 9 critical Earth system boundaries have now been breached, one more than last year – ocean acidification joins the danger zone.

Not a hoax.
https://www.pik-potsdam.de/en/news/latest-news/seven-of-nine-planetary-boundaries-now-breached-2013-ocean-acidification-joins-the-danger-zone

@arstechnica@mastodon.social avatar arstechnica , to random

Meet the 2025 Ig Nobel Prize winners
The annual award ceremony features miniature operas, scientific demos, and the 24/7 lectures.
https://arstechnica.com/science/2025/09/meet-the-2025-ig-nobel-prize-winners/?utm_brand=arstechnica&utm_social-type=owned&utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social

RunRichRun ,
@RunRichRun@mastodon.social avatar

@arstechnica 👆 Attn: @MarcAbrahams
🤔😳🤣

@RunRichRun@mastodon.social avatar RunRichRun , to random
@RunRichRun@mastodon.social avatar RunRichRun , to histodons group
@JD_Cunningham@sunny.garden avatar JD_Cunningham , to bookstodon group

Those marvelous librarians at the Seattle Public Library have put together another wonderful book list, twenty-seven books by women writers in translation that have been published this year and are available now. Just in time for August's Women in Translation month.
bookstodon@a.gup.pe icon bookstodon group

https://seattle.bibliocommons.com/v2/list/display/72450558/2814755497

RunRichRun ,
@RunRichRun@mastodon.social avatar
@randahl@mastodon.social avatar randahl , to random

Very interesting photos from Danish photographer Malene Thomsen. This sunday, she came across the rare phenomenon of bioluminescent dinoflagellates in the water at the eastern beach on the island of Mors.

Dinoflagellates are marine plankton, so they are single-celled organisms and therefore extremely small. But when you have enough of them, they light up the sea, as the waves come crashing in on the shore.

The article is in Danish, but the pictures are phenomenal.

https://www.tvmidtvest.dk/morsoe/malene-delte-vild-naturoplevelse-sa-kom-flere-for-at-fa-samme-syn-e6c42

RunRichRun ,
@RunRichRun@mastodon.social avatar

@randahl
Stumbled upon bioluminescence on a beach in Puerto, once in New Jersey and once sailing offshore in New England. It really is a treat! Thanks for sharing this article!!

@killyourfm@layer8.space avatar killyourfm , to random

Back in Bandon today, but officially this time: on foot. Mile 306 of the Oregon Coast Trail.

Also I think I found driftwood Sasquatch?

An app interface displaying a map of the Oregon Coast Trail, with a tracking point indicating the user's location. The details include the user's elevation (20 ft), GPS coordinates, and a timestamp. A profile picture of the user is visible in a circular frame
The image features two large sculptures made from intertwined branches and twigs, resembling humanoid figures. The figures have long, textured hair made of a dark material, and their facial features are partially obscured. They are positioned in a grassy area surrounded by

ALT
RunRichRun ,
@RunRichRun@mastodon.social avatar

@killyourfm @andrewbriscoe
Send some east!

PS — We only know Tillamook for cheese out this way. Don't think I've ever seen their ice cream.

@RunRichRun@mastodon.social avatar RunRichRun , to random

New effort and exhibit: ‘The Revolutionary City’ gives everyone access to original documents of Philadelphia residents living through the war https://whyy.org/articles/revolutionary-city-digital-archive-philadelphia-revolutionary-war/

Exhibition at the American Philosophical Society: https://www.amphilsoc.org/museum/exhibitions/philadelphia-revolutionary-city

@RunRichRun@mastodon.social avatar RunRichRun , to histodons group
@RunRichRun@mastodon.social avatar RunRichRun , to random

I remember when the Yiddish Book Center really was a couple of people knocking on doors and collecting books from people's homes with a wheelbarrow and a truck. What a wonderful cultural rescue project —

"Aaron Lansky built a home for 1.5 million Yiddish books. Now he's handing over the keys." - Jewish Telegraphic Agency
https://www.jta.org/2025/06/08/culture/aaron-lansky-built-a-home-for-1-5-million-yiddish-books-now-hes-handing-over-the-keys

https://www.gazettenet.com/A-well-earned-retirement-Yiddish-Book-Center-founder-Aaron-step-down-from-Amherst-center-54291201

@RunRichRun@mastodon.social avatar RunRichRun , to random
RunRichRun OP ,
@RunRichRun@mastodon.social avatar

“Police cannot pick and choose when the First Amendment applies. Journalists in Los Angeles were not caught in the crossfire — they were targeted." - National Press Club President Mike Balsamo https://www.press.org/newsroom/national-press-club-condemns-police-targeting-journalists-covering-los-angeles-protests
Via @w7voa
https://journa.host/@w7voa/114659489435875018

@grumpygamer@mastodon.gamedev.place avatar grumpygamer , to random

American Oligarchs could be brought to their knees if everyone: a) Stopping using Facebook b) Stopped using X c) Stopped shopping on Amazon. d) Stopped using Google. Yeah, I'm not holding by breath.

RunRichRun ,
@RunRichRun@mastodon.social avatar

@grumpygamer
Keep going...

@RunRichRun@mastodon.social avatar RunRichRun , to random

Former trump supporter Pamela Hemphill refuses and returns her Jan. 6 pardon
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/pamela-hemphill-trump-supporter-refuses-jan-6-pardon/

@RunRichRun@mastodon.social avatar RunRichRun , to random
@stux@mstdn.social avatar stux , to random

Another day in the world of :

"Crypto investor kidnaps man in New York to access his Bitcoin wallet"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LT1UFuCyRwg

RunRichRun ,
@RunRichRun@mastodon.social avatar

@PamelaBarroway @stux
As awful as the story is, calling him and crypto "investor" rather than referring to him as a criminal, makes the story worse — I'm unfamiliar with investors who torture people in order to gain profit.

@RunRichRun@mastodon.social avatar RunRichRun , to histodons group

New Jersey Shore mystery solved; thankfully no foul play involved: Bones belong to captain from 19th century shipwreck
https://www.phillyvoice.com/new-jersey-shore-bones-shipwreck-captain-identified-dna/ histodons@a.gup.pe icon histodons group

@RunRichRun@mastodon.social avatar RunRichRun , to random

Explainer: Lifecycle of a research grant*
https://theconversation.com/lifecycle-of-a-research-grant-behind-the-scenes-of-the-system-that-funds-science-255163 v @TheConversationUS

*Not all grants / grant processes are identical. This is a useful overview

@killyourfm@layer8.space avatar killyourfm , to random

Today I woke up and decided I'm sick of doing a job that pays less and less the longer I participate in it. I've written at Forbes off and on (mostly on) since 2012, and the various pay cuts never end. That's not how you reward experience...

I don't know what's next, but I know it's going to somehow involve nature, taking some personal and financial risks, and actively chasing joy.

RunRichRun ,
@RunRichRun@mastodon.social avatar

@killyourfm
Life is too short! Go for it! 💪

@RunRichRun@mastodon.social avatar RunRichRun , to random
@ianRobinson@mastodon.social avatar ianRobinson , to random

Emma Newman is angry. Justifiably so.

“I’m just a girl, standing in front of the British government, asking why they want to give away all my work as part of the UK's 126 billion pound creative arts industry, to serve another industry being run by greedy tech bros, just so they can destroy everything else just that little bit faster.”

https://enewman.co.uk/rage-rage-against-the-dying-of-the-mic/

RunRichRun ,
@RunRichRun@mastodon.social avatar

@ewen @ianRobinson @emmanewman
The part of the tech community populated by tech bros has even more dystopian plans for world domination (right, it sounds like a comic book plot) than hoovering up all the work of creatives —
https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:waplkqr2wuy2c4qbge6h6ed4/post/3lp67codxrs2m

@RunRichRun@mastodon.social avatar RunRichRun , to random

"As an American economics professor in China, I often tell my students that the problems facing the US and Chinese economies are like puzzle pieces, but opposite in shape..."

"The US and China hold the key to each other’s economic puzzle — One consumes too much, produces too little. The other produces too much, consumes too little. What if each could solve the other’s problem?"
https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3309467/us-and-china-hold-key-each-others-economic-puzzle

@ewen@photog.social avatar ewen , to random

Had a little tinker with "Jan" this evening. It's a UI that lets you run LLM models locally, and query them.

I wanted to see if it's possible to build an LLM that can proof-read stuff I write. Not just spell check, but pick up when my brain is being lazy and I need to rewrite.

But I don't wanna play with the online stuff. I wanted something local only, that I can experiment with.

This has not gone well.

RunRichRun ,
@RunRichRun@mastodon.social avatar

@ewen
I suspect that some of the challenges you are currently facing is because you've come to the table with a problem in search of a solution, while LLMs have been "sold" as a panacea — that is, solves all your problems. Over time they will get better as a tool. Having built many economic forecasting models and dabbled with AI for years, I would suggest that you keep trying them out — but as you've found out, best not to rely on them at the moment or leave them untended.

Good luck!!

RunRichRun ,
@RunRichRun@mastodon.social avatar

@ewen
So many of the models do Hoover up any/every creation. Among smaller, offline models there probably are some that could be trained on your own database/body of work to replicate your style/voice — maybe not the latest LLM out there (seems to me that they're mostly chasing funding in order to survive, let alone compete). I'll keep an eye out (all the hype has turned me off, recently).

My crew tells me that I am a problem in search of a solution. 😂 Good, it's working! 😉

@dangillmor@mastodon.social avatar dangillmor , to random

Big Pharma's pure greed is on ugly display in this ProPublica article.

https://www.propublica.org/article/revlimid-price-cancer-celgene-drugs-fda-multiple-myeloma

RunRichRun ,
@RunRichRun@mastodon.social avatar

@dangillmor
Corresponding interview (listen or read transcript) with ProPublica health care reporter David Armstrong, by Dave Davies via :
https://www.npr.org/2025/05/14/nx-s1-5397893/how-much-are-we-willing-to-pay-for-life-saving-medications

@dangillmor@mastodon.social avatar dangillmor , to random

Trump world corruption gets more and more brazen. Latest:

https://www.citationneeded.news/trump-memecoin-dinner-guests/

RunRichRun ,
@RunRichRun@mastodon.social avatar

@dangillmor
If anyone is listening — or cares:
🚨🚨🚨
"The event, scheduled for May 22 at Trump’s Virginia golf club, likely violates federal ethics laws that explicitly prohibit presidents from exchanging access and influence for money."

@ingalls@mstdn.ca avatar ingalls , to random

Thank you to @ai6yr hosting the EAS watcher. Saw the tornado warning for a family member come across and was able to analyze the situation and advise them within about three minutes of it being issued.

RunRichRun ,
@RunRichRun@mastodon.social avatar
RunRichRun ,
@RunRichRun@mastodon.social avatar

@ai6yr @ingalls
It would be good if government emergency services launched in the fediverse, but for some reason state and lower (municipal, et al.) agencies find it less than ideal or too difficult or???... while the feds are now captive to x and musk. 😞

How to change that? Seems like more adoption in Europe than the U.S.
@dangillmor @pluralistic @craignewmark

@thejapantimes@mastodon.social avatar thejapantimes , to random

Merely getting the word out about the horrors of nuclear war isn't enough to prevent it. Japan needs to be more realistic about how atomic armaments may help preserve peace. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2025/04/21/japan/japan-nuclear-deterrence-lack-of-debate/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon

RunRichRun ,
@RunRichRun@mastodon.social avatar

@thejapantimes
👆Attn: @bojacobs

"Realistically, the discussion should center on whether deterrence works and, if so, how to regulate possession of nuclear weapons to avoid their accidental or intentional use."

— "Ellis S. Krauss is professor emeritus at the School of Global Policy and Strategy, University of California, San Diego."

@kevinrothrock@infosec.exchange avatar kevinrothrock , to random

American government news is a nonstop parade of austerity for everything except security and law enforcement.

image/jpeg

RunRichRun ,
@RunRichRun@mastodon.social avatar

@kevinrothrock
Lots of spending, but it's not for real security, I'm afraid, and the law enforcement is a charade, too. Latter goes in tandem with deputization of local law agencies to arrest migrants — and the occasional citizen. All political theater for the red meat base. Meanwhile, real threats grow and we grow more and more unprepared. Timothy Snyder's speculative Red Team analysis, below, seems more accurate, I fear — https://snyder.substack.com/p/the-next-terrorist-attack

@RunRichRun@mastodon.social avatar RunRichRun , to histodons group

250 years after America went to war for independence, a divided nation battles over its legacy — and it's future.
https://apnews.com/article/lexington-concord-battles-250-independence-history-debate-031df77dc1cfa5cf669b6694dfe509ee histodons@a.gup.pe icon histodons group

@RunRichRun@mastodon.social avatar RunRichRun , to histodons group

250 years after America went to war for independence, a divided nation battles over its legacy — and it's future.
https://apnews.com/article/lexington-concord-battles-250-independence-history-debate-031df77dc1cfa5cf669b6694dfe509ee histodons@a.gup.pe icon histodons group

@CarveHerName@mstdn.social avatar CarveHerName , (edited ) to random

, 19 Apr 1967, Kathrine Switzer becomes the first woman to complete the Boston Marathon as a registered runner, despite the organiser physically trying to stop her.

She ran it again in 2017, 50 years later.

ALT
RunRichRun ,
@RunRichRun@mastodon.social avatar
@markmccaughrean@mastodon.social avatar markmccaughrean , to random

Although it's perhaps apocryphal that Alfred Nobel established his prizes as a way of laundering his reputation as a "merchant of death", it's nevertheless worth reminding yourself who funds many of the big new science prizes.

And perhaps why preserving the privileges that they & their business interests enjoy leads to their craven kowtowing to autocracy.

https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/apr/16/seth-rogen-attack-on-trump-edited-out-of-science-awards-show-coverage

RunRichRun ,
@RunRichRun@mastodon.social avatar

@markmccaughrean @NatureMC academicchatter@a.gup.pe icon AcademicChatter group
Agree with all of your points. I wonder if such prizes have any positive impact on really young — high school and earlier — youth. I.e., those who dream of STEM careers — are they incentivized by dreams of big rewards? IDK, and the prizes may be a red herring backed by the wrong people. Just wondering. We're seeing disincentives to STEM careers (and much more) in the US now. So troubling.

In any event, good for Rogen for speaking out.

@briankrebs@infosec.exchange avatar briankrebs , to random

Imagine being so drunk on the Kool-Aide that you can't listen to someone trying to help your company. Reached out to an executive at a manufacturing company about a security issue, and their reply was: "I'd like to help you. However, in checking out your website it is clear you suffer from Trump Derangement Syndrome. I don't like the guy but he is our President and a refreshing change from a mentally incapacitated do nothing President." Oh well, I tried.

RunRichRun ,
@RunRichRun@mastodon.social avatar

@briankrebs
Sounds like a guy who would deny it was COVID on his deathbed. Talk about derangement syndrome...

@MarjoleinRotsteeg@mastodon.nl avatar MarjoleinRotsteeg , to haiku group

What a fantastic start of the week: for the second time The Mainichi, Japanese newspaper in English, has published a haiku by me! 👇🏽

https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20250227/p2g/00m/0su/055000c







@poetry

haiku@a.gup.pe icon haiku group

RunRichRun ,
@RunRichRun@mastodon.social avatar