Shameless self-plug:
Zach Zwald, Ryan Kennedy, and I wrote a whole paper on public support and trust in automated weapons systems.
Spoiler alert: the relationship between AI, the military, and public opinion is quite complicated and contextual. #polisky
academic.oup.com/jpr/article/...
I won't lie, I did not know this existed and will be using it exclusively from here on out. Thank you for this gift.
Feel like starting some beef today:
The best theme in ggplot is theme_bw()
I mean, UK politics are pretty simple when you get down to it. The President Man (PM) runs the country while legislation is passed by Parliament Funkadelic, which is led by George Clinton or whatever. Simple stuff.
New blog post: Did MPs who performed better in the 2024 UK election discuss the election more often in their e-newsletters? In a brief exploratory look, I find that they do, though that relationship is more complex than simply asking "who won the race?". #polisky
adamlozer.github.io/blog/posts/2...
Useful list of MPs on here.
bsky.app/profile/did:...
Today, one of my D&D campaigns hit its 69th session.
It's the little things in life that give you light in the darkness.
Fun fact:
Billy Idol's full name is William Idolatry.
Fun fact: in high school, I sent a letter to my Senator asking to be granted a letter of marque for privateering, as my history teacher promised the class a free A as a joke if we got one. I never got a response. I guess I was just ahead of my time.
Tbf, the other end is that it stays light out past 9 in the summer and it's glorious
Extremely lukewarm take:
In politics, calling someone a prick is not an ad hominem attack if the fact that they are a prick directly impacts their ability to govern.
Me, the vast majority of the time: "I quite enjoy living in the UK."
Me in December: "It is 7:34 am and the sun has not yet risen. All joy has fled this decrepit island, there is only despair."
The threat of Musically Assured Destruction?
Lukewarm take:
AI doesn't improve productivity much b/c large chunks of time at most desk jobs are spent waiting for responses to your emails.
Sure, AI can help code a bit faster, but if I can't code until Charles in budgeting green lights my project, I'm still moving at the speed of bureaucracy.
Hey #polisky,
If you have smart students with an interest in data and public policy, Verian has a graduate scheme to get them started in the industry.
www.linkedin.com/feed/update/...
predicting-ball.co.uk
Ever wanted to quantify just how much Bayern Munich are running away with the Meisterschale, but all the projection models out there focus on the Premier League? Well, have I got the model for you!
You ever have Schrödinger's meeting, existing in a simultaneous state of cancelled and not cancelled until the hour arrives and you can directly observe?
Personally, this is one of my favourite projects I have every had the chance to work on. Just very cool and impactful.
Over the past year, our team at Verian worked with the EEF to explore the ways schools spend their Pupil Premium funds to improve educational outcomes for disadvantaged pupils.
You can read the summary and download the full report here: educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/projects-and...
#polisky
What are we calling this? Mamda-mination? Winning Zor-handily?
A great job opportunity for any data experts with a love of social sciences and social research.
Pros: you get to work on cool projects with important public policy impact.
Cons: you have to listen to me make bad puns in meetings.
www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/43...
#polisky
Some rapid fire insights:
* Yes, he did write or dictate all his own newsletters himself, with only minimal help from staffers.
* Visibility, transparency, and info-sharing are the primary aim above all else.
* Effective communication strategies ought to merge BOTH long and short form content.
Do legislators write their own email newsletters? How do they determine what content to include?
I had the opportunity to chat with former MEP @richardcorbett.bsky.social and learn from a politician's perspective on communicating with constituents.
adamlozer.github.io/blog/posts/2...
The existence of Singapore implies the existence of Danceapore and Actapore. And if you visit all three, you unlock access to EGOTapore.
One of my favourite things to do is shock my well-meaning but unaware UK colleagues with how much immigrants pay for the right to be here and contribute.
"Nice nationality dork, did your parents get it for you? Couldn't be me."
Wow, how does it feel to know there is serial killer (pun intended) in your home?
You should not judge a person by the circumstances of their birth. But you 100% should judge them based on the contents of their fast food order.
FWIW, I still have no respect for game theorists though. What they do makes my brain hurt, so it is therefore evil and immoral.
Finished a draft of a blog post featuring an interview with someone really cool. My main takeaway is not novel, but bears repeating:
Put some damn respect on your friendly neighbourhood qualitative researcher or journalist. Interviews are hard as hell and quant folks like me are bad at them.
You know, if you ignore literally any and all of the numerous dissimilarities between the invention of automobiles and the advent of AI, they're really quite similar situations. I think there are a lot of lessons we can learn from that.
