Joshua Bloch
@joshbloch.bsky.social
Effective Java author, API Designer, CMU Prof, Swell guy.
Do physicists refer to truly bad wine as "max plonk"? (Asking for a friend.)
September 7, 2026 at 4:44 PM
Do physicists refer to truly bad wine as "max plonk"? (Asking for a friend.)
R.I.P. Tim Curry
variety.com/2026/film/ob...
variety.com/2026/film/ob...
Tim Curry, ‘Rocky Horror Picture Show’ Star, Dies at 80
Tim Curry, who soared to fame in the ‘70s as the flamboyant star of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” died on Tuesday in Los Angeles. He was 80.
variety.com
August 26, 2026 at 5:26 PM
R.I.P. Tim Curry
variety.com/2026/film/ob...
variety.com/2026/film/ob...
Damn straight. Now why didn't Columbia tell the Trump administration to fuck off (in court) when they were (pretextually) accused of antisemitism? www.nytimes.com/2026/08/13/u...
Judge Dismisses Trump Administration’s Antisemitism Case Against Harvard
The government argued the university had not done enough to combat antisemitism during campus protests. A judge called the incidents “isolated and episodic.”
www.nytimes.com
August 13, 2026 at 5:58 PM
Damn straight. Now why didn't Columbia tell the Trump administration to fuck off (in court) when they were (pretextually) accused of antisemitism? www.nytimes.com/2026/08/13/u...
Here is our snack. Every bit of produce came from the garden except for the (spectacular) nectarines, which came from Andy Mariani's orchard. It was delicious.
July 23, 2026 at 12:21 AM
Here is our snack. Every bit of produce came from the garden except for the (spectacular) nectarines, which came from Andy Mariani's orchard. It was delicious.
True. We call it "stupidity" coupled with "ignorance" and "hubris." We further note that it demonstrates the "Dunning-Kruger effect." www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...
Science Has a Name for What’s Plaguing the Reflecting Pool
Testing reveals that efforts to suppress one algal bloom seem to be fueling another.
www.theatlantic.com
June 22, 2026 at 7:49 PM
True. We call it "stupidity" coupled with "ignorance" and "hubris." We further note that it demonstrates the "Dunning-Kruger effect." www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...
He is more Versailles-tile than you thought. (Sorry, I'll show myself out now.)
June 18, 2026 at 7:16 PM
He is more Versailles-tile than you thought. (Sorry, I'll show myself out now.)
So it bombed with no help from terrorists ;)
www.bbc.com/news/article...
www.bbc.com/news/article...
FBI thwarted plot targeting White House UFC event, Patel says
In newly unsealed court documents, the government alleges that the plan would have used drones. The FBI boss says multiple suspects are in custody.
www.bbc.com
June 16, 2026 at 4:34 PM
So it bombed with no help from terrorists ;)
www.bbc.com/news/article...
www.bbc.com/news/article...
This is not what democracy looks like. www.nytimes.com/2026/06/11/u...
Postal Service Seeks to Block Mail Ballots in States Resisting Trump Demands
www.nytimes.com
June 12, 2026 at 3:58 PM
This is not what democracy looks like. www.nytimes.com/2026/06/11/u...
Reposted by Joshua Bloch
The squares may appear to shift vertically or horizontally, but they are actually stationary and perfectly aligned in either vertical or horizontal positions.
References
Flynn, O. F. & Shapiro, A. G. (2018). i-Perception, 9(6), 1–6.
References
Flynn, O. F. & Shapiro, A. G. (2018). i-Perception, 9(6), 1–6.
June 9, 2026 at 10:32 AM
The squares may appear to shift vertically or horizontally, but they are actually stationary and perfectly aligned in either vertical or horizontal positions.
References
Flynn, O. F. & Shapiro, A. G. (2018). i-Perception, 9(6), 1–6.
References
Flynn, O. F. & Shapiro, A. G. (2018). i-Perception, 9(6), 1–6.
Score: Josh 1, O2 sensor 0. This is the carcass of a post-cat sensor that spent 188K miles in Cindy's E46 wagon. It was pretty well fused to the bung & I rounded it trying to remove. One muffler shop refused to touch it, & another made a valiant effort. In the end I had to pull the exhaust manifold
May 30, 2026 at 4:57 PM
Score: Josh 1, O2 sensor 0. This is the carcass of a post-cat sensor that spent 188K miles in Cindy's E46 wagon. It was pretty well fused to the bung & I rounded it trying to remove. One muffler shop refused to touch it, & another made a valiant effort. In the end I had to pull the exhaust manifold
This is not what democracy looks like
www.nbcnews.com/politics/jus...
www.nbcnews.com/politics/jus...
Justice Department deletes press releases on charges against Jan. 6 rioters
The Justice Department confirmed that it had deleted the press releases as part of “stripping DOJ’s website of partisan propaganda.”
www.nbcnews.com
May 23, 2026 at 4:12 PM
This is not what democracy looks like
www.nbcnews.com/politics/jus...
www.nbcnews.com/politics/jus...
This is not what democracy looks like.
May 19, 2026 at 11:48 PM
This is not what democracy looks like.
Yet again, he says the quiet part out loud. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
‘I don’t think about Americans’ financial situation,’ says Trump amid Iran talks
With US inflation at a three-year high, US president insisted he’s not focused on economic hardship sparked by the conflict
www.theguardian.com
May 13, 2026 at 6:02 PM
Yet again, he says the quiet part out loud. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
"The plans for “Trump-class” battleships are a mixture of the fictional and the vulnerable, which does reflect the man. The notion is to invest untold amounts of money into a kind of weapon has been understood to be obsolete since 1943." –Timothy Snyder snyder.substack.com/p/on-superpo...
On Superpower Suicide
And the recovery of justice
snyder.substack.com
May 12, 2026 at 11:26 PM
"The plans for “Trump-class” battleships are a mixture of the fictional and the vulnerable, which does reflect the man. The notion is to invest untold amounts of money into a kind of weapon has been understood to be obsolete since 1943." –Timothy Snyder snyder.substack.com/p/on-superpo...
This is how you govern when all you know how to do is build tarty hotels and act in mediocre reality shows.
May 10, 2026 at 3:51 PM
This is how you govern when all you know how to do is build tarty hotels and act in mediocre reality shows.
Oh, we understand. In fact we understood as soon as he was elected.
May 3, 2026 at 8:50 PM
Oh, we understand. In fact we understood as soon as he was elected.
This serves as your reminder to keep a human in the loop, no matter how smart you think your AI is. www.livescience.com/technology/a...
'I violated every principle I was given': AI agent deletes company's entire database in 9 seconds, then confesses
An AI agent designed to speed up a company's coding instead wiped out its customer data in seconds, showing potential weaknesses in AI programming.
www.livescience.com
May 2, 2026 at 4:34 AM
This serves as your reminder to keep a human in the loop, no matter how smart you think your AI is. www.livescience.com/technology/a...
As my pilot friend Mike used to say "this reads like the beginning of an FAA accident report."
April 21, 2026 at 3:57 PM
As my pilot friend Mike used to say "this reads like the beginning of an FAA accident report."
Reposted by Joshua Bloch
How is “viewpoint diversity” not just affirmative action for people with bad ideas
SCOOP: Harvard is quietly asking donors for $10 million gifts to establish endowed professorships in a bid to reshape faculty under the banner of “viewpoint diversity,” according to two people familiar.
Hugo C. Chiasson and Elise A. Spenner report.
www.thecrimson.com/article/2026...
Hugo C. Chiasson and Elise A. Spenner report.
www.thecrimson.com/article/2026...
Harvard Asks Donors to Endow $10 Million Professorships for ‘Viewpoint Diversity’ Initiative | News | The Harvard Crimson
Harvard is quietly asking donors for $10 million gifts to establish new endowed professorships in a sweeping bid to reshape its faculty under the banner of “viewpoint diversity,” according to two…
www.thecrimson.com
April 16, 2026 at 12:02 PM
How is “viewpoint diversity” not just affirmative action for people with bad ideas
This article is very sad. My first new car was a 1983 Toyota Tercel, purchased on a grad student stipend. Today, this would be utterly impossible. www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
Opinion | Where Did All the Affordable Cars Go?
This is how cars got so ridiculously, forbiddingly expensive.
www.nytimes.com
April 15, 2026 at 6:38 PM
This article is very sad. My first new car was a 1983 Toyota Tercel, purchased on a grad student stipend. Today, this would be utterly impossible. www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
I have nothing to add. Just read it. newsletter.ofthebrave.org/p/im-a-nobel...
I’m a Nobel Prize-winning immigrant. I can no longer recognize this country.
Attacks on science and immigrants are destroying America.
newsletter.ofthebrave.org
April 12, 2026 at 5:48 AM
I have nothing to add. Just read it. newsletter.ofthebrave.org/p/im-a-nobel...
@greatdismal.bsky.social I thought of you when I saw this. bsky.app/profile/pure...
April 10, 2026 at 4:55 PM
@greatdismal.bsky.social I thought of you when I saw this. bsky.app/profile/pure...
I'm just saying, people in tech pubs should call themselves docworkers.
(I'll show myself out now.)
(I'll show myself out now.)
April 8, 2026 at 6:10 AM
I'm just saying, people in tech pubs should call themselves docworkers.
(I'll show myself out now.)
(I'll show myself out now.)
A fun trivia question: Whose version of Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah appeared in the (2001) movie, 𝘚𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘬? (Don't look it up until you come up with an answer.)
April 3, 2026 at 1:59 AM
A fun trivia question: Whose version of Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah appeared in the (2001) movie, 𝘚𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘬? (Don't look it up until you come up with an answer.)
Tim took this lovely picture in Boston last night.
April 2, 2026 at 6:44 AM
Tim took this lovely picture in Boston last night.