James Davenport

James Davenport

@jradavenport.com

Astronomy professor in Seattle. Coffee drinking, year-round-plaid wearing, joke telling space dad. Searching for ET, caring for humans. https://jradavenport.github.io 🔭☕️🎤

6.1K followers357 following3.1K posts

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James Davenport
@jradavenport.com

I listen to @npr.org every day (s/o @kuow.org). Today I'm lucky & proud to be part of a piece talking about SETI and the amazing future of 🔭🧪🎧⭐ with @vrubinobs.bsky.social. Thank you to my friend Regina & the Short Wave team for having me on! www.npr.org/2025/01/22/1...

npr.orgWhy some astronomers are excited about the search for alien life : Short WaveAround the turn of the century, 3.8 million people banded together in a real-time search for aliens — with screensavers. It was a big moment in a century-long concerted search for extraterrestrial int...
James Davenport
@jradavenport.com

Saw an amazing art piece in the Secret Life of Pets pre-ride queue at Universal Studios this summer... trying to recreate it for my office

James Davenport
@jradavenport.com

This is anti-improv slander and I won’t stand for it. Improv is a real and developed theater art form, and as such reflects truth and life back to us in an important and worthwhile way. Just because it’s silly and at times chaotic doesn’t mean it’s not serious and true

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James Davenport reposted

Ben Recht
@beenwrekt.bsky.social

Replying to @devezer.bsky.social

The purpose of peer review is not primarily to help authors improve their papers.

James Davenport reposted

James Davenport
@jradavenport.com

Replying to @jradavenport.com

As we (professional astronomers) grapple with new “discoveries” or “papers” that are not up to professional standards, especially those fueled by AI, let us be upset by the right things… and not attack enthusiasm from likely our biggest fans.

James Davenport reposted

James Davenport
@jradavenport.com

My unpopular opinion is that a lot of the AI-driven “slop” that dips into our professional world comes from people who genuinely love astronomy and want to participate. It says something bittersweet about awe and life and the dreams we have as kids…

James Davenport
@jradavenport.com

FWIW, fellow astronomers, you really don’t have to publish in these journals. IMO the claim that they represent some kind of prestige, or that publishing there is somehow “better” than in e.g. AAS journals is complete fiction.

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James Davenport
@jradavenport.com

Basically I think Impact Factor is a massive scam and we should shun it. I actually really do like curated, selective publication venues. Taste is a cool thing, and I wish we had more very high quality, boutique journals that catered to specific ideas or topics.

James Davenport
@jradavenport.com

FWIW, fellow astronomers, you really don’t have to publish in these journals. IMO the claim that they represent some kind of prestige, or that publishing there is somehow “better” than in e.g. AAS journals is complete fiction.

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James Davenport
@jradavenport.com

After +20yrs in Astronomy I’ve barely interacted with them. Maybe some think I’m a B-rate scientist, but… honestly that’s fine. I don’t read them regularly, unless you x-post to arXiv or something. I fundamentally don’t understand our fixation or dogmatic regard for these publications

James Davenport
@jradavenport.com

My unpopular opinion is that a lot of the AI-driven “slop” that dips into our professional world comes from people who genuinely love astronomy and want to participate. It says something bittersweet about awe and life and the dreams we have as kids…

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James Davenport
@jradavenport.com

Astro/Phys always had a steady stream of “self-published ideas” and pet/fringe theories about the universe from… enthusiasts. And it is frustrating to get these sent to us. I’m a passably good musician, but Lady Gaga doesn’t need my cover of Bad Romance, or worse, my own pop-ballads

James Davenport
@jradavenport.com

As we (professional astronomers) grapple with new “discoveries” or “papers” that are not up to professional standards, especially those fueled by AI, let us be upset by the right things… and not attack enthusiasm from likely our biggest fans.

James Davenport
@jradavenport.com

My unpopular opinion is that a lot of the AI-driven “slop” that dips into our professional world comes from people who genuinely love astronomy and want to participate. It says something bittersweet about awe and life and the dreams we have as kids…

James Davenport
@jradavenport.com

And Yes, there’s a lot of tech bro retcon going on to justify AI systems plowing through academic communities. And YES there is a huge range of use of these tools from within our professional sphere, which impact the literature usually problematically

James Davenport
@jradavenport.com

Feels apropos as we enter grant writing season…

James Davenport@jradavenport.com

I feel like we’re willing to make Pluto a planet again, at least provisionally, if they’re willing to fund astrophysics. I’d say $100 billion/year is reasonable But if you keep cutting our budgets, I swear we’ll keep eliminating them. Hope you like a three planet solar system!

James Davenport reposted

Michael Wong
@miquai.bsky.social

What do distant stars, the deepest oceans, and the origins of life have in common? Carbon! On Nov. 9, join @carnegiescience.bsky.social & @npr.org's Short Wave for a special live podcast recording exploring the extraordinary journey of one of the universe's most essential elements. Register below!

carnegiescience.eduThe Carbon Connection: From Stars to LifeWhat do distant stars, the deepest oceans, and the origins of life have in common? Carbon! Join Carnegie Science and NPR's Short Wave for a special live podcast recording exploring the extraordinary j...

James Davenport reposted

Night Fae
@femmeandfauna.bsky.social

As someone who needs a translator for whatever the tech people are talking about, this was quite helpful as an explanation

Caræsten 🇵🇸@cara.city

between the catastrophic PHP vuln and the intermediate cert vuln and AI models that can turn a proof of concept into a bot net in like 10mins we’re in for a wild 24 hours

James Davenport reposted

Kevin Hardegree-Ullman
@kevinkhu.bsky.social

This is so cool! White dwarfs are so much more colorful than their name would suggest. Pink and green stars!

Dr Jan Eldridge@astro-jje.bsky.social

The is a really big deal, the number of green stars in the Universe will be very small! www.rnz.co.nz/news/world/1...

rnz.co.nzAstronomers say they’ve discovered the first green starAstronomers analyzing white dwarf stars have for the first time found a star that would appear green to human eyes, according to a new study.
James Davenport
@jradavenport.com

I think concept cars are really neat. Cars for people need to be robust and safe, not powerful and absurd. What happens when rats chew on a hose, leaves plug a thruster, a bee hive gets into the air intake? Flying cars are death machines

Jeremy White@jeremywired.bsky.social

ROCKET SCIENCE: It turns out the Roadster 2 both sucks and blows. Here you can find out exactly how Elon's long-delayed electric sports car can "fly", and also how it was inspired by a famous Bond car. Click the pic for the full @wired.com story. www.wired.com/story/how-te...

wired.comHere’s Exactly How Tesla Made Its New 230-Mph Car ‘Fly’It turns out the Roadster 2 both sucks and blows.
James Davenport
@jradavenport.com

I have wanted an EV since I was 8. One of the biggest problems with nearly every EV on the market: they are too fast, too heavy, and too powerful. Also, nobody is impressed with a giant touchscreen that distracts you. They are cheap and lazy designs of shame

James Davenport
@jradavenport.com

This!! Declare email bankruptcy. It’s all overwhelming and we’re doing our best, and I’m sorry but like not really that sorry

Dr. Sabrina Mittermeier@smittermeier.bsky.social

I have deleted the emails that were in my inbox and which you were probably sending for reasons Forgive me they were annoying so many and so long

James Davenport
@jradavenport.com

Stealing you say?! Did these former employees scan millions of pages of content without asking and build a model for Apple?

CNN@cnn.com

OpenAI is accusing a former employee of stealing intellectual property related to an unreleased device and later sharing some of the information with Apple. https://cnn.it/4dHgJE5

James Davenport
@jradavenport.com

My latest Idiocracy style conspiracy theory is that Citizens United plants the seeds for Grok to be elected to the US House of Representatives

James Davenport
@jradavenport.com

Men continue to be absolutely full of shit and the root of so many problems

Brian Barrett@brbarrett.bsky.social

In a recent survey of 5,400 Americans, 53 percent of men said that yes, of course they were familiar with AI luminaries Susan Milner and Craig Dalton. The only problem is that those people don’t exist.

wired.comMen Can’t Stop Faking How Much They Know About AIMore than half of the men surveyed in a new Harvard study claimed to recognize AI leaders who were, in fact, totally fictional.
James Davenport
@jradavenport.com

I see on the #aas249 registration page that the Open Mic is still happening! Who is running it this year? Better question: who is performing this year?!

James Davenport
@jradavenport.com

One thing I’m hearing from a lot of colleagues (including myself) is real hesitation about applying for NSF funding right now. Acceptance rates seem like they will be maddeningly low, and no clear directive on what will be allowable/preferred…

James Davenport
@jradavenport.com

Since NSF grants are a cornerstone of how we fund PhDs, I’m also noticing this among grad students. Who has - or will likely have - funding is becoming a huge concern.

James Davenport
@jradavenport.com

When we talk about the implosion of science in the US, it’s not just about funding. It’s also about uncertainty. As a researcher at the forefront of my field (astronomy), I have exciting ideas that I will not pursue, and that I don’t trust the US to support in the next decade