Joel 'Dr. Maths' Nibert

the point of math isn't to produce theorems. it's to humble oneself at the altar of infinity. if 'mathematician' disappears as a profession, humanity will lose its connection to the platonic realm and become a race of soulless automatons

Grand Prairie ISD told Ana Mota she could not play the lead male part in Little Shop of Horrors, citing a 2023 Texas law that bans some drag performances. Ana declined to accept a different role. The district decided to cancel the show. via @dallasnews.com www.dallasnews.com/news/educati...

For World Octopus Day🐙, let's learn a weird fact about the three hearts of our eight-legged friend. The SYSTEMIC HEART of an octopus STOPS BEATING while they swim / jet. Seems like a design flaw, doesn't it? Let's talk about it.

Caught the #FirstTheyCameForMyCollege here in Houston at the MFAH. Every @aaup.org chapter in the country should be airing this, to explain to students, faculty, and parents how destructive the right wing takeover has been for the education & careers of students www.firsttheycameformycollege.com

Neiman Marcus closed its downtown Dallas flagship on Wednesday. The store played a notable role in the history of desegregation in Dallas. Previously, Black shoppers across the US could enter department stores, but they weren't allowed to try on clothes without adhering to certain conditions. 🧵

John Oliver lists off just some of Ken Paxton’s scandals: “Paxton spent nearly 9 years under indictment for securities fraud... He was also accused of bribery and abuse of office by eight of his own top deputies... But wait, because I'm still not done.”

So rather than put Texas ABC affiliates in the middle of it, Kimmel says the full interview will be posted to YouTube instead. This is where we are now. A candidate interview gets moved off broadcast television because local stations are worried about what the federal government might do next.

Here's an oral history of maybe the most venerated front page of The Onion of all time. You'll get the 9/11 edition along with this month's paper in the mail in a couple of weeks.

Almost a year after Trump’s domestic policy bill passed, at least 770,000 children are no longer receiving SNAP benefits. In Arizona, the number of children receiving SNAP has dropped by more than 200,000 since July 2025 — a 55% decline. (Published June)

Sam Neill on tackling depression and imposter syndrome when you’re between jobs.

The New York Knicks just played the most dominant 10-game stretch in NBA history, and it's not even remotely close

I tried to warn everyone what the Roberts Court was about almost ten years ago www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...

"Cinco de Mayo. . . reminds us that Texas remains a former Mexican province called Tejas, that braided histories of our state and Mexico, of Texans and Mexicans, cannot be undone," writes @tacotrail.bsky.social. Read more on the history of the holiday here:

Vaccines were once so uncontroversial that McDonald’s restaurants put the childhood immunization schedule on their tray liners. Now, as the U.S. government sows doubt, preventable diseases could come roaring back.

A tax season reminder that Intuit TurboTax lobbied the government for years to block free public tax-filing. Trump then terminated the free IRS Direct File program established under Biden, just a year after the tax prep giant gave his inauguration fund $1M. Do you see how this works?

"When women win and are treated as an afterthought, the message reaches classrooms, workplaces and communities alike: You may help carry the nation, but you will not be centered in its story."

Congrats to BART rider and Oakland legend Alysa Liu on winning a gold medal at the Olympics and making the Bay Area proud!

on benito, and america

FYI. If you want to fool around with impact and damage scenarios for different size and types of asteroids, this is a really fun and horrifying simulator neal.fun/asteroid-lau...

The corrupted CDC website refers to a Danish study (Andersson et al) and "a statistically significant 67% increased risk of Asperger's syndrome per 1 mg increase in aluminum exposure among children born between 2007 and 2018 (Supplement Figure 4)." It's worth putting this into context. Short 🧵

After Trump got his Covid shot, he chose to fire the scientists protecting the rest of us from diseases.

When my dog needs a walk while the Eagles are playing, I put the game on paws.

It's been a warm September and there's reason to believe maybe this year will be warmer than the last

Have you heard about the 2 TX Billionaires controlling the state government?

Great. How do I get back the rent they extorted from me?

Today marks the 60th anniversary of the passage of the Voting Rights Act. The beginning of true democracy in America. A offering to this country paid for by the work, dedication and lives of ordinary Black people. We’ve always had to fight. Are you prepared to fight to protect our rights?

if Trump were actively trying to impoverish and deskill the united states for the sake of our competitors, what would he be doing differently?

This is remarkable. New Quinnipiac poll finds support for path to legalization for most undocumented immigrants has risen to 64%. Only 31% want most of them deported. That's a 14 point net swing for legalization since Trump took office. On immigration generally, he's at 41-57!

During the pandemic, the US implemented the most effective social welfare policies in our history -- programs that worked because they were big enough, simple, and universal. And then we withdrew them. This remains imo the central economic-policy story of our times. davisvanguard.org/2025/05/3hou...

Here’s how Trump’s war on science is going. NSF funding is at the lowest level in decades. We’ll lose knowledge, generations of scientists, and US competitiveness. www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

REVEALED: A Daily Puzzle Game Guess the topic using the fewest reveals and hints! www.britannica.com/games/revealed

Dr. Katalin Karikó spent decades experimenting with mRNA. She was scoffed at, demoted, and eventually forced to retire. Then, she won a Nobel Prize. Her story is the first in our 10-episode series, “The Leap,” produced with the Hypothesis Fund.

Fantastic thread:

Not loving the "Sovereignty defeats Journalism" headlines. I know it's about a horse race, but read the room...

Tariffs and bans are policies of fear. They happen when we are scared that another country’s innovation has surpassed our own. The best response to competition? Investing in your own science, technology, and education. That’s true courage.

This, by @ruthbenghiat.bsky.social, is very informative

I like my prestige television So Prestigious that Nothing Happens.

"I'm never late to the party if I'm late to the party with you." -Kacey Musgraves #LateToTheParty #SpaceyKacey #NewHere