Tweetorial Collection

Why Enterprise Software Sucks

@random_walker

My university just announced that it’s dumping Blackboard, and there was much rejoicing. Why is Blackboard universally reviled? There’s a standard story of why "enterprise software" sucks. If you’ll bear with me, I think this is best appreciated by talking about… baby clothes!

Our Visual System and Saccades

@Foone

You want to know something about how bullshit insane our brains are?
OK, so there's a physical problem with our eyes: We move them in short fast bursts called "saccades", right? very quick, synchronized movements.
The only problem is: they go all blurry and useless during this

Why is Median Age of Covid Cases Dropping?

@nataliexdean

THINK LIKE AN EPIDEMIOLOGIST:

What does it mean that the median age of new cases is dropping in some areas? I see three possible explanations, not all good. A thread on how to distinguish between them. 1/10

(Figure h/t @ScottGottliebMD) https://t.co/Y6m45qoBL6

What is Opposition Research

@yashar

1. All this talk about opposition research tonight is driving me nuts because so many people are getting it wrong (not Kyle). This is an area I know well, I got my training as a oppo researcher many years ago, I have also commissioned, disseminated, and received a ton of research https://t.co/f07SUEUV9Q

Urban Archaeology in Kingston

@wallaceme

Geeky thread warning. Or, if you’re like me, a cool bit of 20th Century urban archaeology. Check out this shop in Kingston. What’s unusual about it (aside from its no-doubt-excellent nails service)? https://t.co/MT3G9Yii9Z

Benefits of Basic Science

@GeneticJen

So much anti-science crap on Twitter this morning. Not just climate change denial stuff but people against wasting money on basic research

Steroids and White Blood Cell Counts

@tony_breu

1/
How do steroids cause an increase in the white blood cell (WBC) count (i.e., leukocytosis)?

And, how do steroids tamp down inflammation if it appears that there are more WBCs in the blood after they are administered?

Seems like a paradox in need of a thread. https://t.co/9YqWInZLYC

Unpacking Snowden's Actions

@MalwareJake

With @Snowden book coming out, I'm hearing multiple respected people in the industry say "the domestic programs were wrong, I just don't agree with how he released the data." I get where these people are coming from, but let's examine why this is a hollow argument. 1/

Why Preorder Books

@andibartz

You have probably heard me stating that preordering a book from an independent bookseller is the most impactful thing you can do if you're going to buy an author's book. Lately some of you wonderful people have asked for more detail, so I thought I'd explain! [THREAD]

Why College Rankings are Crap

@maggiekb1

I've been thinking about this for a day and a half now. And here's why. This game exists because a metric (selectivity) exists. And metric exists because ... once upon a time a newsmagazine decided they could make some good side money ranking colleges. https://t.co/jlGQUfPFf3

Genetics, Intelligence, and Ethnicity

@ewanbirney

Yesterday I did another bit of twitter back and forth with someone with a strong belief that there strong biological differences between ethnic groups - a particular focus being intelligence - and I just want to lay out why I spend time on this on twitter

Data Analysis Alone is Not Enough

@kareem_carr

AS A STATISTICIAN, I respect science expertise because I need it to do my job right. In the early days of the pandemic, I saw debate develop between those advocating we listen to experts and those who felt we should listen to the data. This is a false dichotomy, let me say why...

Social Construction of Crime

@djmckenna00

Something I've learned while in law school is about the social construction of crime. I work in a legal clinic on wage theft cases, where employers have "improperly paid" workers by not paying, paying below min wage, withholding overtime, paid sick time, etc. 1/

Are Jellyfish Immortal?

@RebeccaRHelm

I've got some shocking news for you:
1) THERE'S MORE THAN ONE "IMMORTAL" JELLYFISH
2) The oldest jellies I know are NEARLY 100 YEARS & COUNTING
3) Scientists are studying if they live forever but there's one BIG problem...[a thread]
#DailyJelly
Vid: https://t.co/QnwxAM7krU https://t.co/tCw5stUnMT

Biological Sex and Gender

@RebeccaRHelm

Friendly neighborhood biologist here. I see a lot of people are talking about biological sexes and gender right now. Lots of folks make biological sex sex seem really simple. Well, since it’s so simple, let’s find the biological roots, shall we? Let’s talk about sex...[a thread]

Everything You Need to Know About 2+2=5

@kareem_carr

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT "2+2=5". As a former mathematician, I have things to say. 1/🧵

The Solar Neutrino Problem

@starstrickenSF

one of the coolest particles in the Universe is invisible.

it’s super low mass.

100 trillion pass through your body every single moment.

it travels at nearly the speed of light.

it has no electric charge.

it flummoxed scientists for decades.

𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝘂𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗼.

History of the Word "Ebonics"

@RafiDAngelo

The only reason any of us cringe at "ebonics" is bc we grew up with news media telling us it was bad after the Oakland controversy. A short history thread. 1/ https://t.co/hby7lCmN2b

Is NASA Detecting Parallel Universes?

@ajpizzuto

OK, so, I've seen a lot of the "NASA detects parallel universe" stuff going around

I've spent the last ~2 years of grad school investigating these detections, and wanted to provide a bit of background and clarification

(1/n)

Was Beethoven Black?

@kira_thurman

Hi gang! I'm not on twitter much right now, but because several of you have asked for my take on the question, "Was Beethoven Black?"

Here's my answer as a scholar who writes about black musicians in Europe for a living:

1/?

Menstrual Clots

@Candice_Chirwa

[Thread]: Menstrual Clots - What are they all about? This thread will explain the large, dark clumps jelly with your period. It might be surprising to see a thick glob of menstrual blood, but, in most cases, blood clots are a natural part of menstruation. (Spongebob Edition) https://t.co/YZOkADa1Bp

Nitrates in Rocket Salad

@Luke_Bell_1987

There's been a story in a UK tabloid (that I won't name), and @BBCRadio4 of all places; that #rocket #salad causes #cancer due to high levels of #nitrates in the leaves. Here's my take, and what's wrong with the thinking behind it.

A thread.

1/12 https://t.co/oVaUVr1UAe

Why Millionaires Don't "Earn" Their Money

@HasBezosDecided

WHY YOU'LL ALWAYS BE ROBBED AT WORK, AND WHY NO MILLIONAIRE HAS EVER "EARNED" THEIR MONEY:

So, let's imagine I'm a business owner and you come to me looking for a job.

We talk about your the terms of your employment and eventually we come to the big question:

Why "States' Rights" Wasn't the Cause of the Civil War

@wcaleb

1. Here's a short thought experiment that might help students or others understand why historians today reject "states' rights" as the cause of the Civil War. Imagine that 150 years from now, someone tells you that conservatives in 2020 were defenders of states' rights ...

Why "Public Housing" Became Sigmatized

@eveewing

just wanna talk real quick about how we get to "public housing" as a highly stigmatized, not-so-subtle dog whistle for "low-income Black people," instead of what it could be-- a public good benefitting people of all backgrounds--in the context of Chicago history.

[a lil thread]

Hash Functions

@dannydiekroeger

Hash Functions are a key concept in computer science, cryptography, and yes #bitcoin.

It's impossible to explain how bitcoin works without first understanding what a Hash is.

If you'd like to expand your background knowledge, read on 👇

Colleges and Coronavirus

@Noahpinion

1/Let's talk about colleges, and how screwed they are.

https://t.co/KdLxLM8QCJ

MSG isn't Bad for You

@XiranJayZhao

THREAD: why the notion that MSG is bad for you is a racist hoax and needlessly deprived us of so much deliciousness

so MSG was first isolated in 1908 by Japanese chemist Kikunae Ikeda, who also coined the term "umami" for the flavor 1/? https://t.co/Q5KZOKobye

Gender Segregation in Medical Specialties

@DocMCohen

What happens when certain types of medical work become synonymous with women’s work?

This excellent paper by @ElainePelley & @Molly_Carnes explores the trend of ⬆️gender segregation in medical specialties and downstream impacts.

#WomenInMedicine THREAD
https://t.co/1fBJ9Nyh3W

Pronoun Usage

@itsjacksonbbz

I really hate how transness is always flattened and reduced so that the cis can understand it.

The most current iteration of it is cis people being told that "they/them" are THE "nonbinary pronouns".

It don't work like that lol

2020 Belarus Election

@AlexKokcharov

THREAD.

Today is the day of presidential election in my native Belarus. It is the 6th election in Belarusian history. Only 1994 election was deemed free and fair, and votes in 2001, 2006, 2010 and 2015 were marred by electoral fraud and government repression.

1/x https://t.co/kboXUgGjHW

Wastewater Testing for Covid

@cfishman

Some big news out of the University of Arizona (@uarizona):

UA scientists & staff found a coronavirus outbreak on campus *before it happened* — and seem to have snuffed it out.

How in the world do you do that?

You use wastewater testing.

Dr. Nancy Conn & Typhoid

@WeirdScotland

Summer 1970: a rare form of typhoid is infecting people in Edinburgh. Dr Nancy Conn, a bacteriologist at Western General, finds the source and prevents a major outbreak with detective work and sanitary towels.

A thread on one of Scotland's unsung #WomenInSTEM

#OldWeirdScotland https://t.co/Od5KQuOB9p

Algorithmic Grading

@doctorow

Here's your heartbreaking algorithmic cruelty story of the week: UC Riverside history prof @DanaJSimmons has a son who's just started junior high and loves his history teacher:

https://t.co/KZcqy13OMK

1/ https://t.co/k2BnHjuu6a

Is Covid Testing Too Sensitive?

@apoorva_nyc

NEW: All these months into the pandemic, we may have been testing the wrong way. Data from some state labs suggest up to 90% (!!) of people who get a positive result are no longer contagious and don’t need to isolate.

Strap in, this is important. 1/x

https://t.co/rR4aBDK4Xl

Neuroscience and Racism

@thiagoarzua

"You should stick to the science"

Aight, here's a thread about the ways neuroscience was used to justify blatant racism.

References at the end.
#BlackLivesMatter

What if Earth had no moon?

@astro_jaz

What if Earth had no moon? ✖️🌕
(1) https://t.co/pCoe7Wi7Ti

What If You Hit a "Ceiling" in Math?

@kareem_carr

WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU HIT A "CEILING" IN LEARNING MATH? Somebody asked me this question recently. I defer to the math education experts but as a Harvard student in a mathematical field I do know a little about learning math. 🧵

Why Windows 95 was Cool

@anildash

25 years ago today, Microsoft released Windows 95. Lots of other people can talk about why it was technologically interesting, but I want to share a bit about why it was so *culturally* interesting.

Why Isn't Correlation Causation?

@kareem_carr

Statisticians like me say CORRELATION ISN'T CAUSATION but that's not the whole story.

There are at least FOUR different scenarios!

A thread. 🧵

When Will We Get to Herd Immunity?

@DearPandemic

1/ Q: When will we get to herd immunity?

A: When we get a vaccine & lots of people have received it; or else, a very long time from now. https://t.co/PL9Ba0Jgfy